Sonadow Shorts
by TWDGamerKenny'sBro
Summary: A collection of short stories involving the relationship between Sonic and Shadow. None of the stories you read will be interlinked, they'll all be different, some coming from the main canon and the Sonic Boom canon. I don't intend on ever posting mature content. I enjoyed writing these so I hope you enjoy reading them. (Image by finestelite on Tumblr. Seriously, go check him out.)
1. Chapter 1

In the dark of night, Sonic lay wide awake in his hammock, gently rocking from side to side. He stared blankly up at the ceiling of his beach hut, thinking about the day he had had. His train of thought was cut short when an unmistakable sound came from behind him, joined by a bright flash of blue light that illuminated the room for a brief second. Sonic sat up and glanced over his shoulder too see Shadow standing in the doorway, his usual frown turning into a brief smirk.

"You took your time" Sonic commented, swinging his legs round and getting out of his hammock.

As soon as his feet touched the floor, Shadow charged him, quickly slamming Sonic into the nearest wall. They locked eye contact, staring deeply into each other's eyes, before Shadow leaned forwards and pressed his lips against Sonic's. Sonic pushed against him, leaning deeper into the kiss. The kiss felt like it could last forever, when really it only lasted for half a minute before Sonic pulled away to come up for air. "That was... That was something" he murmured breathlessly, his cheeks flushed red.

"I thought you'd be used to it by now" Shadow replied, taking Sonic's hand and leading him back over to the hammock. Shadow climbed in first, and then Sonic got in afterwards. The blue hedgehog lay his head on Shadow's chest, listening to the beating of his heart, while Shadow had his arm wrapped around Sonic.

The two lay there for a while, in a complete silence, just enjoying each other's company. The silence was then broken by Sonic "Where have you been?" He asked.

"Well, I thought it would be wise to come see you when nobody was around-"

"No, I mean, before today. You disappeared without a word... And then you suddenly show up today. Why?"

"Eggman still thinks I hate your guts, wanted me to join his side, but that didn't exactly work out for him." Shadow shook his head, recalling on earlier events "I just needed some time away, that's all"

"Away from what?"

"Nothing, I just needed some time alone. To think... About us"

"What about us?" Sonic questioned further.

"About how we're going to make this work without your friends or Dr Eggman finding out"

"Well, we've managed so far... We can make it work - I know we can" he said confidently. "We just have to be careful, that's all"

Shadow was silent. Sonic moved his head slightly, to get a better look at the black and red hedgehog. His eyes were closed, but he was certain that he wasn't asleep. He couldn't be, they had been talking only a few second ago. Perhaps he didn't want to say anymore, since the conversation had been pretty much exhausted. Or maybe he was reflecting on something, something that he didn't want to share. Shadow knew more than he was saying, and Sonic doubted that he'd ever be able to get it out of him.

Sonic rested his head back on Shadow's chest. "I missed you... You know that, right?"

Shadow's grip on Sonic grew tighter "I missed you too"

* * *

 **A/N: These Sonadow shorts started as me writing an extension to the Sonic Boom Shadow episode but then this happened. I have no idea why, my brain goes weird places. Anyway, this was the first one I wrote, as you can see it hints at episode 52. A lot of these are a bit out of context, but some of them hint at the game or story that they are from. And then there are some that are just originally and unrelated to anything from the Sonic franchise.**

 **And just so you know, I'm not a massive fan of Sonadow. I think it's a really cool ship, but I don't want it to become canon nor do I think it ever will. I don't know, I just felt like writing these.**

 **Also, this is not my interpretation of gay couples. If it was Amy and Sonic, I'd probably write it exactly the same. I've never been in a relationship, so all I have is the media to feed off of, so a lot of these are SUPER cliche.**

 **One last thing, like I said in the summary, I never intend of writing mature or sexual content. I don't like doing that sort of stuff.**

 **Alright, that's it, enjoy the rest of them, I really don't know how many there will be.**


	2. Chapter 2

The sun was setting on the horizon, and the party had ending. A handful of guests had lingered and were gathered in a small cluster, talking amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Sonic was sitting behind a tree by himself, his legs pulled up to his chest and his head rested upon his knees.

It had been an eventful day, one he likely would never forget. He didn't think any other birthday could top this one, but then again his friends could pull something off that was even better next year.

"Feeling old yet?" a voice asked.

Sonic looked up to see Shadow standing next to him. "Not yet, but it'll probably sink in soon" Sonic replied. He lowered his legs and shuffled over a little "You wanna sit down?" he asked, patting the spot next to him.

Shadow unfolded his arms and sat down on the grass, leaning back against the tree "Sorry about not joining in with the party" he apologised "I'm not really a party person"

"No worries" Sonic responded. "The day is still young, fancy dancing with me?"

"Are you serious?" Shadow questioned, narrowing his eyes and frowning.

Sonic jumped up and turned to Shadow, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet "Come on, just humour me on this one. I'm not getting any younger!"

The black hedgehog rolled his eyes "Fine" he grumbled.

So they danced. Well, Sonic did, Shadow stood there unimpressed and allowed Sonic to move him around. Sonic chuckled happily, and Shadow managed to crack a smile. The blue hedgehog let go and ran around his friend, pulling his own moves and generally showing off.

A little breathless he turned back to Shadow after doing a neat spin, to see that his friend was standing there silently, his back to him.

Sonic's laughter faded as he trudged up to Shadow and gently touched his shoulder "Shadow...?"

He turned back around, tears streaming down his cheeks "What's wrong?" Sonic questioned worryingly.

"Sorry, I just-" he inhaled sharply "I don't want to lose you Sonic" he sniffed sadly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You're getting older, and one day you'll die, and so will everyone else. I can't die! I'll still be here, I'll be left alone, I can't- I can't bare it!" Shadow cried "I've tried so hard not to think about it, to forget, but I can't. Every birthday reminds me of how much little time I have left with you. That's why I didn't show up today, before everything with Eggman happened, I didn't want to face you because I was afraid something like this would happen, that I would get upset and ruin your party"

"Hey, hey it's okay" Sonic lifted his hands and placed one on both sides of Shadow's face, wiping away the tears with his thumbs "Some things can't last forever. But that doesn't matter to me, I have you and all my friends. Life's too short, that's why we have to make time with what we got and treasure every little moment. At least, that's what I figure"

Shadow gazed at him through teary eyes. "No matter what happens, even after I'm gone, I'll always be here for you"

They hugged. Sonic felt himself welling up. He'd never seen Shadow so upset before, it made him sad too. It must be hard, knowing that all your friends would eventually be gone. He'd never really thought about it before, but he knew that he'd help him get through it... Somehow.

They pulled out of the hugged, and then leaned in for a kiss. "I love you" Shadow moaned passionately.

"I love you too" Sonic replied, pushing against Shadow's lips. He then pulled away for a brief second "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if that's what you want..."

"Of course it is" Shadow told him. "I wouldn't have it any other way"

"Well, in that case, let's just take it real slow, that way we can enjoy every second"

"That sounds weird, coming from you" he commented, referring to the 'let's take it real slow' bit.

Sonic smiled warmly "Yeah. Yeah it does"


	3. Chapter 3

Shadow staggered into Tails workshop, clutching the injury on his chest. His own blood dripped onto the wooden floor as he made his way further inside. "Hello?" He called out, his voice strained. No one was home, which he had expected after fleeing the scene.

He'd clean himself up, sort out the blood he'd spilled, and be in and out before anyone could even find out that he'd been here. He made his way across the room, pressing his free hand on the wall to keep his balance and keeping himself from falling. Feeling ready to walk on his own, he pushed himself off the wall and hurried over to the workbench in the centre of the room, his free hand outstretched once again, so that he would be able to catch something if his legs did give on him. Now that he had reached workbench, he used his limited strength to hoist himself onto it.

His breathing raspy, he slowly lowered his bloody hand to see the piece of metal that had been embedded into his side. Lifting his hand once again, he touched the piece of metal, which sent sharp shooting pains through his body. He groaned in agony.

He had to remove it.

Shadow wrapped his hand around the metal shard "This is going to hurt" he murmured, tightening his grip. "But it has to be done" he stated aloud. Bracing himself for the inevitable, he closed his eyes and-

"Shadow!" a voice cried.

A blue hedgehog stood in the doorway, staring wide eyed at his injured friend. "S-Sonic!" Shadow stuttered, glancing down at his wound and then back at his friend. "It's not as bad as it looks, trust me!"

"Not bad?!" Sonic exclaimed "You're bleeding!"

"I know that! But it'll heal on it's own, I just need to take out the shard, then I'll be fine" he replied, gripping the shard and pulling it slightly. He immediately cried out in pain. This was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

Sonic ran to his aid "Let me help you!" He pleaded.

Shadow slid off the workbench and backed away "No, I got this, I'm fine" he said confidently, waving him off.

"You're not fine!"

"Just leave me alone, I don't need your help" Shadow turned away from him. Taking hold of the metal shard with both hands, he went for another attempt. "Just a quick pull... And that will be it" he mumbled to himself. He counted down in his head.

 _3...2...1_

"GAH!" He cried, the shard still embedded in his side, though he had managed to ease it out a little. Blood was seeping out the floor.

"Shadow please" Sonic whimpered.

Shadow ignored his pleas. This was it. This was the one. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and pulled. "AAAAAHAHAAAAAA" he screamed, the shard slipping through his fingers and clattering as it hit the ground. Blood spilled onto the floorboards, and Shadow momentarily collapsed.

Sonic rushed to his side, but the black hedgehog swatted him away, gripping his own chest tightly and wheezing in pain. "It's- it's over... It's over now" he whispered, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"It should've been me" Sonic murmured, though it didn't seem like it was his intention for his companion to hear.

Shadow whipped his head around, tears in his eyes. He got to his feet and punched Sonic in an act of frustration with his only free hand.

Sonic fell to the ground, looking up at his wounded friend, his face masked with confusion "Don't you dare say that to me!" Shadow yelled angrily "If this had been you, then you would've died!" He exclaimed.

Sonic went to say something but Shadow immediately shut him down. He wasn't finished yet. "I was just trying to protect you! I couldn't let something like this happen to you!"

"You can't always be there to protect me!" Sonic barked back.

"I know! But you know what?! I can try! Cause I'll be damned if I ever let you end up like how I did today! I'm not going to lose you, I'm not going to let you become like Maria!"

The two went silent. Shadow was breathing harshly, pools of sweat dripping down his face, while Sonic was staring at him with a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry, Shadow" he apologised. "I'm not saying I'm not grateful for what you did... In fact I really appreciate it... I owe you big time... I didn't know you felt that strongly about me"

"Of course I do... You mean everything to me" he explained.

Sonic got back up and touched Shadow's arm "That can go both ways" he said fondly.

"I don't really know what I was thinking. In the moment, I didn't make a choice, I just acted on instinct... I just knew I had to save you"

"You did save me... I won't forget that". Sonic reached out and moved Shadow's hand, to take a better look at the wound. Shadow winced and inhaled sharply through gritted teeth. "How about we get you cleaned up?"

He nodded "Sounds like a plan"

Sonic wrapped his arm around Shadow as they made their way over to the bathroom. Together.


	4. Chapter 4

Sonic was sitting in the signing chair, a small pile of Dudeitude CDs on the table. The come-back concert had been a huge hit, and they had almost completely sold out of merchandise. Tails and Knuckles had gone back stage for a bit, leaving Sonic by himself to do a few more signings.

He had been greeted by a large cue of screaming fangirls earlier, the most notable one being Amy, but everything was quiet now. He doubted that he would see anymore, but he decided to wait around nonetheless, just to be sure.

He was currently tuning his multi-necked guitar and humming to himself, with his feet rested on the table. He heard footsteps approaching, and assumed it was either his fellow band members or another eager fan. Or Amy, coming back to talk to him privately.

The stranger stood at the other side of the table, casting a shadow on Sonic. "So what will it be, an autograph? Free CD?" He questioned, not looking up.

"I came for a bit more that that" the stranger replied.

Sonic recognised the voice almost immediately. He glanced up to see Shadow staring down at him. "Shadow!" He exclaimed, putting down his guitar and taking his feet off the table "You came! I didn't think you would"

Shadow leaned over the table and grabbed Sonic by his neckerchief and pulled him to his feet. Their faces were close together, their noses touching. "I wouldn't miss it for the world" Shadow replied, planting a kiss on Sonic's lips.

He then let go of Sonic's neckerchief and allowed him to fall back into his chair. Sonic blushed, lifting his hand and adjusting his trademark accessory. He then cleared his throat "Did you- uh enjoy the concert?" He asked.

Shadow perched himself on his side of the table "I enjoyed it very much" he replied. "Can't say the same about the screaming crowd but you can't have everything"

"Anything stand out for you?" Sonic asked cheekily, leaning forwards.

Shadow smirked, leaning closer to Sonic "I liked your guitar solo, it was really something to... Marvel at"

"Do you want to hear a little I've been working on?" Sonic asked, wrapping his hand around his guitar.

"I'd love to" He replied.

Sonic grinned "I was hoping you'd say that" tightening his grip on the guitar and picking it up. He then stood up, moving aside and putting one leg up on his chair.

Shadow gazed at him, looking intrigued. Sonic lowered his head and began to strum. The melody wasn't slow, but nor was it loud. It was soft and gentle. He looked up at Shadow passionately.

He hummed to the sound of his guitar, before finishing his short piece.

"That's uh... All I got so far" the blue hedgehog explained. "Need to work on the lyrics, nothing's really come to mind yet"

"I thought you were all about rock music" Shadow commented.

"I thought I might try something different... Just for you" he replied. "Don't you like it?" He asked.

Shadow shook his head "No, I thought it was great. It would be nice to hear your voice along with it" he said. "Maybe I could come round sometime, help you write them" he suggested, a smirk on his face. Sonic wasn't sure if he was just talking about the song.

"That could be arranged" Sonic replied.

Shadow leaned in and planted another kiss on Sonic's lips "It's a date". He swiped one of the CDs and began to walk away "I'll be expecting a free t-shirt"

"You'll get one... Sooner than you think"


	5. Chapter 5

Shadow stood in the branches of a tree, watching as a strange looking creature trudged through the forest along with a pink-ish flying rodent.

From observation, the creature looked like a large, wolf-hedgehog hybrid, which was a little off. Shadow narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist, leaping from the tree and immediately teleporting. He teleported right in front of the creature, catching it off guard. Before it could react, he kicked it square in the face and teleported himself safely onto the ground. The creature was sent hurtling backwards and collided with a tree.

The flying rodent cried out in fear and ducked behind a bush. Shadow grunted, he'd deal with whatever that thing was later - first he had to complete his mission. The creature was getting back up, clutching it's head in pain and looking slightly dazed. Shadow charged forwards, going into a spinball and knocking the creature to the ground once again.

After attacking the creature, he was knocked back, but managed to land on his own two feet and skidded backwards, tearing up some of the earth as he did so. Preparing to deal one final blow he charged again, pulling his fist back.

"Shadow wait!" It pleaded.

Shadow stopped dead in his tracks, his fist inches away from the creatures face. He stared, his eyes shifting as he examined the creature closer. His gaze fell upon the bright green eyes that he knew all too well "Sonic?" He blurted, lowering his fist. "Is that really you?" He asked.

"Yeah" Sonic replied, his voice strained.

Shadow reached out his hand and Sonic took it. "That's a good look for you" he joked.

"Funny" Sonic grunted, as Shadow proceeded to help him up.

"What happened to you?" He asked.

"It's a long story" Sonic replied "Basically I absorbed some of Dark Gaia's energy and now every night I turn into... Well, this" he said, gesturing at himself. "Why were you after me?" He questioned.

"There were some reports about a large beast roaming around at night coming from all over the world. GUN sent me to track you down and take you back for examination" Shadow explained. "Now that I know it's actually you I think we can rule out that idea".

The flying-rodent remerged from behind the bush and joined them "Is everything okay?" He asked worryingly.

"Who's this? Your sidekick?" Shadow asked, looking up at the odd thing.

"This is Chip. He's helping me find the Gaia temples and restore power to the master emeralds" Sonic told him "We're hoping that putting the planet back together will reverse this" he said, gesturing at himself once again.

Sonic turned his attention to his companion "Chip, this is Shadow. He's a friend"

"But he tried to hurt you" Chip commented.

"That was all just a big mistake, it's fine now" he assured him.

"If you say so Sonic" Chip replied, flying over to Shadow and resting on top of his head. Shadow grunted, but made no effort to shake him off.

"I'm sorry about before" Shadow apologised, turning his attention away from Chip, who was still perched on his head.

"Don't worry about it. Don't you think you should tell GUN it was me? I wouldn't want you get in trouble for holding information"

"Trust me, if they knew it was you, they'd want to examine you even more. I'll just tell them that you were stronger than I thought and you got away. They'll never know"

Shadow shook Chip off his head "I better head back, update them on the situation" he stated, turning away "Oh and if you ever have something like this happen to you again, at least let me know"

He was walking away when Sonic stretched out his arm to a freakishly long and pulled him back. "Hold on a second". His hand was much larger than Shadow had first thought, in fact he was being lifted off the ground. Sonic truly was strong in this form.

"Put me down, Sonic" he growled.

"Don't go yet, we have some catching up to do"

Shadow rolled his eyes "Fine, whatever. Now could you put me down?"

Sonic placed Shadow on the ground and the two walked together. "Hey, Chip, do you think you could leave us alone for a minute?" Sonic asked his friend.

"Sure thing, Sonic. I'll go see if there are any delicious berry bushes around" Chip replied, flying off into the wilderness.

After Chip left, they found themselves a ledge that had a view of the forest and the nearing sunrise in the distance. They sat down, Shadow hung his legs over the ledge and swung them gently. Sonic did the same.

"So what's it like?" Shadow asked.

"What do you mean?" Sonic answered with a question.

"The transformation, how does it feel?"

"Well, it kind of feels like all my speed has been transferred into muscle and size and..." He trailed off.

"Hair?"

"I wouldn't say hair but yeah, you're probably right" Sonic admitted. "You want to know the worse part though?"

"What's that?" Shadow questioned.

"I feel sad... Chip told me that I look scary, but I don't want people to be afraid of me. I just want to help" he paused "Are you scared of me when I'm like this?" He asked.

Shadow glanced at Sonic, studying his features. His large, pointed teeth and large claws, not to mention his shaggy coat and bulk structure "No" he stated simply.

"Why not?" Sonic questioned further.

"Because I know it's you" and with that, Shadow leaned in and kissed Sonic on the lips. Sonic wrapped his arms around Shadow and pushed against him.

Meanwhile, on the horizon, the sun was coming up. With a flash of purple light, Sonic was returned to normal just as they were pulling away from each other. "Wow" Chip gasped in oar and wonder.

It took a moment for Sonic to register that Chip was there, and we he did notice, a look of surprise appeared on his face "Chip?! How long have you been standing there?"

Shadow glanced over at Chip, and then turned back to Sonic "It doesn't matter" he said, putting one hand behind Sonic's neck and pulling him in close for another kiss.

It was more of a quick peck, as he immediately pulled away and stood up "If you ever need any help, just let me know" he told him "I'll be in touch" he said, making a quick exit. He paused for a brief moment and glanced back "And Sonic, it doesn't matter what you look like to me, I'll always care about you" Shadow stated, before leaving indefinitely.

Chip fluttered over to Sonic "I've never seen something like that before. Or maybe I have and I just can't remember"

"You don't mind it, do you?" Sonic asked worriedly.

"No, not at all. It doesn't matter to me, after all you both love each other very much, that's pretty clear"

Sonic smiled "Thank you, Chip"


	6. Chapter 6

Sonic was panicking. This was it, his and Shadow's first date. He was both excited and nervous. More nervous than anything, seeing as though he was dripping with sweat. He was currently pacing around the room, actively glancing at the clock. "What if he doesn't show up?" he asked worryingly.

Tails was sitting down, his gaze following him as he walked up and down the room "He will" the two-tailed fox told him confidently.

"What if he doesn't like it, what if it's not good enough for him?"

"I'm sure he'll like it no matter what you do" Tails replied.

There was a knock at the door. Sonic and Tails shared a quick glance before Sonic rushed over to the door and practically flung it open. "Shadow, you're here!" He exclaimed, chuckling lightly.

Shadow was standing with his arms folded, the frown on his face quickly turning into a small smile "Not too early am I?" He asked. His tone sounded smug.

"No, you're right on time. Come on, let's go" he replied hurriedly, ducking out of the room.

"Have fun!" Tails called as Sonic shut the door.

Sonic grabbed Shadow's arm and pulled him along. "Where are we going?" Shadow questioned.

"It's a surprise" Sonic told him "Today's gonna be great, just you wait and see"

* * *

"So" Sonic began, the two of them walking down the centre of town "I was thinking we could go around a few shops, get you something cool, take a trip to the park, then get a bite to eat at a restaurant, and then we'll go watch a movie at the drive in theatre. We won't actually drive in, obviously, but I know a really good spot where we could get a great view of the movie screen" he went through his plan.

"Sounds like you got it all figured out" Shadow replied. His tone was odd, Sonic was having a hard time reading how he felt.

"I aim to please" Sonic replied, taking him by the arm. Shadow frowned as he and Sonic continued down the street, before pausing in front of a store "How about we get some cool shades?"

"I'd rather not" his companion responded in an uncaring manner.

Sonic looked at him nervously but quickly regained his composure "Maybe we should just head for the park" he suggested, moving along.

"Sonic, I think-" Shadow began.

"I know, shopping isn't your thing. It's not mine either, not sure why I thought if it, sorry. But it'll get better, I promise"

Shadow frowned once again as he and Sonic made their way to the park. It was somewhat busy, but also quite peaceful. "This is nice, right?" Sonic commented.

"Look, Sonic, I-" he tried again.

"Hey, there's a duck pond, you wanna feed some ducks?" Sonic interrupted once again.

Shadow glanced over at the birds and grimaced "No thanks"

"Well, maybe we could-"

"Not so fast, Sonic!" A voice exclaimed. A robot hand grabbed Sonic and lifted him off the ground. "I have you now!" Eggman cried triumphantly as he came down in his egg mobile.

"Do we really have to do this now?" Sonic groaned.

"Yes we have to do this now!" Eggman replied "I learned that you had a date so I decided to attack when your guard was down - granted you might have been more careful just for your date, it was a 50/50 chance, but I took a risk and I was right to!"

Sonic rolled his eyes, not feeling very threatened. "Who's the lucky one you're going out with, anyway? Is it Amy? I bet it's Amy"

"Actually, that would be me" Shadow spoke up.

"Shadow the Hedgehog?!" Eggman gasped in surprise "I didn't see that one coming"

"Mind giving me a hand, Shadow?" Sonic called.

"I'm on it" he replied, rolling into a spin dash and smashing into the robot hand, causing it to drop Sonic.

Eggman chuckled lightly "No hard feelings, right, fellas?" he asked, backing away with his egg mobile.

Sonic and Shadow exchanged glances "Lets send him packing" Sonic said.

Shadow nodded in agreement, and the two spin dashed together and knocked into Eggman's egg mobile, sending him flying. "Curse you Sonic!" He yelled as he disappeared out of sight.

"Eggman messed up my schedule" Sonic murmured crossly "Now I'll have to rethink a few things" he grumbled.

"Sonic, listen to me" Shadow spoke up, touching his shoulder "You've gone all out today, and I appreciate that, but all I really want to do is spend some alone time with you" he explained.

"Really?" Sonic asked.

"Of course. I'd enjoy today no matter big or small, because all I really need is you"

Sonic blushed "Now, what do you say we head back to your place, get as much as we can eat out of the fridge and just watch a movie together?" Shadow suggested.

"I'd like that" Sonic agreed.

They made their way home and sat eating chilli dogs and junk food in front of the TV. "So, is this our first and last date?" The blue hedgehog asked.

"I think it's just the beginning" the black and red hedgehog replied. "I'd like to do this a lot more"

"What would you like to do?"

Shadow leaned closer to him and rested his head on Sonic's shoulder "Anything that involves just spending a day with you"

Sonic smiled, resting his head on Shadow's and began to cuddle. He couldn't wait for their next date... Although he was considering letting Shadow plan that one.

No matter what, he'd enjoy, just like how Shadow enjoyed this. And that is what he loved about him.


	7. Chapter 7

Shadow was crouched outside of Eggman's base, hiding amongst the shadows. Sonic came speeding passed, but Shadow managed to grab him and reel him back.

"C'mon Shadow, I wanna get in on the action!" Sonic exclaimed enthusiastically.

Shadow grabbed both of Sonic's arms and pulled him out of the view of a torret that was searching for a potential target.

"Keep your voice and your head down" Shadow hissed. "This is a covert operation, don't you remember anything I told you?!"

"Sorry, I'm just super pumped to be working with you again, it's been way too long" the blue hedgehog explained.

"Yeah, that's why you'll wait out here while I'll go in and get the job done."

"What, why?" Sonic questioned. He looked hurt.

"This mission is all about stealth. You on the other hand always rush into things without thinking. I know what I'm doing, so I'll go in a collect whatever data Eggman is hiding and get back without triggering any alarms. Got it?"

"So I'm back up, right?" Sonic asked.

"Hmph" Shadow responded. He then looked at the base and then back at Sonic "I suppose"

"Alright, just let me know if you need me and I'll be right there!"

Shadow simply grunted as he walked away. He doubted he would need Sonic's help. He turned around briefly and tossed a headset at the blue blur "Take this. But don't bother me too much when I'm inside" he ordered "Stay here, and stay low"

"Yeah, sure" Sonic mumbled, placing the headset over his ears.

"No, Sonic, I mean it. Stay here. Do not come after me unless I tell you to" he warned. And with those final words, a blue light engulfed Shadow as he teleported away.

Sonic sighed, adjusting his headset. It had been so long since he'd seen Shadow, and he was so glad to go on a mission with him (despite Shadow wanting to go it alone). Shadow had been so wrapped up with GUN recently that he hadn't been able to see anyone else. Sonic was waiting for the opportunity to tell him how he really felt... But this wasn't the reunion he'd been hoping for. Nevertheless, he would tell Shadow how he really felt, sooner or later. He was certain of it. He was just worried about whether Shadow would feel the same way.

Shadow found himself inside Eggman's base. He quickly ducked into hiding spot, allowing some patrolling egg pawns to move passed. Once they turned a corner, he ducked out of his hiding place and ran down the corridor. The computer room was not too far from his position, and he was confident he could make it without being seen.

The door in front of him opened automatically. He paused for a moment, quickly checking his surroundings for any sign of Eggman's robots before speeding down the corridor towards the next door.

"Need any help, Shadow?" Sonic's voice came from his watch communicator.

"I got it" Shadow replied, reaching the door. This one was locked. He knew he was close. He approached the keypad and used his GUN tech to hack it. Within seconds the door was unlocked and Shadow was allowed to enter the computer room.

He went up to computer and started going through the data. He was just about to find what he needed, when several robots came attacking from all sides. Shadow grimaced, leaping out of the way of the robots.

They started to fire energy beams. Shadow used his homing attack to attack one and then quickly got out of the way of another laser beam. "Shadow, gimme an update" Sonic called.

"Not now, Sonic" Shadow growled. Being distracted for a brief moment was the window of opportunity the robots needed. One of them grabbed Shadow and slammed him into a wall "GAHHH!" He cried out. The robot prepared to fire a large close range shot.

"Shadow? Shadow?!" Sonic called.

"Son-" Shadow began, the robots hand crushing him.

"Shadow, I'm coming!" Sonic shouted, removing his headset and running inside the base. With his speed he was able to reach Shadow within seconds. He smashed into the robot that was crushing him and then attacked the rest, reducing them to nothing but a pile of scrap metal.

"You okay?" Sonic asked worriedly.

Shadow was about to speak, but then the lights started flashing bright red and an alarm started screeching. "We have to get out of here" he said, grabbing Sonic's hand and running out of the room.

As they went back into the corridor, a large metal wall slammed down and an identical one slammed behind them. The walls on either side started to close in on them. Shadow's first instinct was to run to wall on his left and forced all his body weight against it. Sonic did the same with the right wall.

"It's no use, it's not working!" Sonic cried.

"There has to be a way" Shadow muttered. He wasn't trying to let the stress of the situation get to him, but you could see the fear in his eyes.

"Maybe you could use chaos control?" Sonic suggested. The amount of room they had was starting to get smaller.

Shadow shook his head "If I did then I wouldn't be able to take you with me"

Sonic glanced around. "Maybe... Maybe we-" he sighed. There was no way out.

"Shadow, if this is it, I just want you to know-"

"We're not going to die here!" Shadow interrupted him.

Sonic ignored his outburst and continued "I just want you to know that" he paused, and inhaled deeply, though his breath was shaky "I- I love you!" He exclaimed, tears in his eyes.

Shadow stared at him with wide eyes. He then closed his eyes and lowered his head, frowning. "I don't know if you even like me, but that doesn't really matter right now. I just wanted you to know, in case I never get the chance"

Sonic lowered his head, bracing himself for the inevitable. Sonic glanced up at Shadow one last time to see that he was removing his inhibitor rings from his wrists. Clutching them both in one hand, he charged up all his energy, grabbed Sonic by the hand, and went charging head long at the metal wall. They burst through it with ease, but Shadow didn't stop. He kept going until he and Sonic were as far away from the base as possible.

Once they were safe, Shadow began putting his inhibitor rings back on. Sonic watched him, looking puzzled "Why didn't you do that in the first place?" He asked.

Shadow didn't even look at him "I wasn't sure if it would work. I didn't want to waste all my energy on a hunch" he explained. He then turned away and folded his arms, staring up at the gleaming, silver moon.

"I'm sorry" Sonic apologised.

"Sorry?" Shadow looked over his shoulder "You put yourself at risk and got both our lives in danger and you're sorry?"

"I thought you needed help. I was worried something might happen to you" Sonic replied, trying his best to defend himself.

"I could have handled it! I told you not to come after me unless I told you, why won't you just listen to me?! You're just so reckless!" He shouted furiously. He then turned away from him once again, his body heaving in anger.

Sonic looked down at the ground "Shadow, please... I need to know. Do you feel the same way about me?" he asked.

Shadow was silent.

"Shadow, just look at me!" He yelled.

The black and red hedgehog turned around, looking at Sonic with a blank expression. "Please... Just tell me" Sonic pleaded.

Shadow looked down, lost in thought. After a brief moment of silence, he looked back up at Sonic "No, I don't" he replied gruffly. "I don't love you"

"And-" he hesitated "And I think it would be best if we go our separate ways" he stated firmly. He and Sonic shared a hard stare, before Shadow turned and walked away. He didn't look back.

Sonic couldn't bare to watch him go. He collapsed to his knees and began to sob. He buried his face in the grass and cried. Was this the end? Would he ever see Shadow again? He couldn't be sure. It didn't really matter anymore. He'd just lay there for a while, hurt and alone.

* * *

 **A/N: I know I said that none of these will be interlinked, but this one will have a part 2. It won't come directly after, but the plot will be related in a way. For now, I have some stuff planned. There's part 2 to this, obviously, then there will be one where Shadow teaches Sonic how to swim, they'll be one about Sonic and Lancelot, and a Christmas special. Then I'll look into some requests, though they'll have my own spin on it.**

 **For anyone confused as to why chapter 7 was posted and then removed on Sunday, well, someone (I won't say his/her username just in case he/she doesn't want me to) let me know that the plot was very similar to another story I never saw until that point. Not wanting to be accused of plagiarism, I deleted the chapter and I'm rewriting it with a different plot. Hopefully it's not the same as some other story out there somewhere, but idk. But I can promise you I would not copy off someone else's story. It's not who I am. I'm just doing this for fun.**

 **Btw, go check the guy out with the story that was similar to the original chapter 7. His story is awesome, so seriously, go check him out. His name is Super Sonic Pizza Delivery and the story is Not a King. If you haven't seen it already, go check it out. It's great, glad I got to read it despite it looking like I copied him when I really didn't. It was not my intention, I didn't know, so I guess I just had the same ideas. Really sorry if it looked like a copied you, if you ever see this of course.**

 **Anyway, enough rambling from me, hoped you liked the chapter, let me know what you think and if you have any requests, and I'll see you in the next one.**

 **P.S. I tried my best to keep Shadow in character so I hope it payed off**


	8. Chapter 8

When the bright light faded, Shadow found that he was was no longer in the desert temple, but in a black void, standing on a floating fragment of Soleanna. Taking in his surroundings, he noticed that he was joined by his team, Rouge and Omega, but also some of Sonic's friends, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Silver. Oddly enough, Eggman was there too.

"What is this?" Tails asked, looking around in wonder and confusion.

"Where are we? What's going on?" Amy questioned, just as confused as Tails.

"Is this because of that light?" Knuckles asked.

"The Chaos Emerald has disappeared..." Silver muttered, staring at his empty hands. He seemed to not have noticed the others just yet.

"Silver?" Amy addressed him.

"What are doing here? This is all so confusing..."

"It's all because of Solaris." Rouge spoke up, informing everyone of the problem at hand.

"It seems we were all caught by the spatial distortion." Eggman added to what Rouge had said. The others seemed alarmed and threatened by his presences, but that was justified. "Iblis' seal has been broken. Due to Mephiles manipulation." He explained. He then turned around, and the group followed his gaze. What they saw shocked everyone right to the core.

Shadow couldn't believe what he was seeing... He didn't want to believe it. Princess Elise was on the ground, cradling Sonic in her arms. He wasn't breathing.

"Sonic?" Amy cried, quickly approaching him.

"No... You don't think..." Tails trailed off, simply stating down at his friend in disblief.

"Sonic!" Knuckles exclaimed.

Amy collapsed onto her knees and buried her face in her hands, and began to sob. The others also showed their grief by lowering their heads in respect for their dead friend. Shadow closed his eyes and unfolded his arms. Sonic couldn't be dead... Could he?

"Mephiles played us all for fools! His plan all along was to cause the Princess to be so consumed with despair that she'd cry." Eggman commented.

"So _that's_ why he wanted me to kill Sonic before..." Silver muttered.

Shadow opened his eyes and turned away, crossing his arms. Mephiles had done this... He had taken Sonic from them... From him. He should've stopped him, he should've been there... But he hadn't. Was it his fault? Was Sonic gone because of him?

His thoughts were interrupted when the world around them began to quake, and a loud shriek erupted from above, echoing throughout the black void.

"Solaris!" Silver exclaimed, looking up at the bright light above them. The others turned their attention away from Sonic to also look at the creature above them.

"This creature will consume all existing timelines. And time itself will collsapse and disappear into nothingness." Eggman stated.

Shadow tried his best make sense of what was going on, but his thoughts were filled with regret, grief and anger. He looked up, and added to what the Doctor had said "The instability of time caused this time-space rift."

"It won't remain for much longer." Eggman told them.

"We've no time to waste. We've got to defeat it now!" Knuckles yelled.

"No, it is a transcendent life form that exists in the past, present and future. Defeating it here, now, would do nothing." he responded.

"No, I won't give up. There has to be a way. If you say it exists in the past, present and future, I'll destroy them all at once!" Silver exclaimed, lifting his hand and curling it into a fist, a look of determination in his eyes.

Shadow turned to him. "Certainly, it might have been possible, if he was still alive." He then looked back at Sonic... He wished he could go to him, to hold him in his arms. But he couldn't... He had to stay strong, for everyone else's sakes. He couldn't give in to his emotions, despite the fact that losing Sonic hurt him so much inside. If only he was still here, they could've stopped Solaris together, just like old times, back on the ARK... When they first met.

"Sonic! Sonic!" Amy continued to sob.

All hope seemed lost. All they could really do now was mourn Sonic's death and wait for the inevitable. Shadow stared at his dead friend, so many thoughts rushing through his head, so many things that he never got to tell him, things that he should've said... He had taken Sonic for granted, and now that he was gone, all he was left with was heartbreak and regret.

"Sonic..." Elise murmured. That was the first thing she had said ever since they had arrived here. She had been silently grieving all this time... She must have truly cared about him. Shadow wondered if she cared about him as much as he did.

"What's the matter?" Silver asked her.

"I feel... Sonic's presence in the wind. I don't think he's dead yet! I'm sure of it. It's not too late!" Elise cried. Shadow looked at her with curiosity. He felt a sense of hope spark within him. Could it really be true? Could Sonic really be saved?

Amy stopped crying and moved her hands away from her face. The others had their full attention on Elise now.

"Of course! Let's call him back with power of the Chaos Emeralds!" Silver suggested. The others turned towards him. Shadow also turned his attention towards Silver. He could feel a fire burning within him, a sense of hope and belief. "Focus your thoughts on using its power to perform this miracle..." Silver encouraged her. He then walked up and knelt down in front of her "You can do it, Princess!"

"I can?" Elise asked him.

"You were the vessel that was used to seal Iblis. You should be able to use the gems' power to rescue Sonic's soul!"

Elise nodded _"_ I'll... Do it!"

The others nodded in agreement. Shadow was beginning to believe in this more and more. With Elise and the chaos emeralds, then perhaps it was truly possible. They could bring Sonic back.

Eggman adjusted his glasses into a radar "Solaris flung the Chaos Emeralds to the distant corners of this distorted world." He informed them.

"To collect them all in time, we'll have to split up!" Tails stated. Knuckles, who was standing beside the two-tailed fox, jumped in the air with enthusiasm.

"I'll go, too! Because it's for Sonic!" Amy said, climbing to her feet with a look of determination in her eyes. She then turned her attention to Elise "So Elise... Watch over him!" She instructed her, before running off in the other direction.

Tails, Knuckles and Silver went off in a similar direction to Amy, while Shadow, Rouge and Omega went the opposite way, leaving Elise alone with Sonic. Shadow was determined, now more than ever. He was going to find that chaos emerald, and he was going to save Sonic. No matter what it took, he would do it. For Sonic.

* * *

Shadow sped through what seemed to be Kingdom Valley. Everyone else had found their appointed chaos emerald, and it was down to him to find the last one. There were death traps all around him, gravity wells appearing out of nowhere. But he didn't care. Nothing was going to get in his way.

Sonic was all that mattered to him right now. He had showed him so much kindness and care over the years, and Shadow hadn't really shown him any in return. This was his chance to put things right. To show him how much he truly cared. To tell him everything that he had never gotten to say. To tell him how much he meant to him.

The chaos emerald was in sight now. He was almost there, he had almost made it. He quickly homing attacked into a switch and began to grind towards the gem. It was pure white and glowing brightly.

He landed on the platform and began to skate towards it "Okay, this is it! Sonic... Here I come." He stated aloud. He hoped that maybe, somehow, Sonic would be able to hear him. That he would know what he had done for him.

He rushed at the chaos emerald and grabbed it. He gripped it tightly in his hand, and held it close to his chest. He did it... He had won this battle.

"I'm going to save you, Sonic" he whispered softly, gripping the emerald tighter.

* * *

The group gathered together once again on the ruin of Soleanna and made a circle around Sonic with the chaos emeralds. As Shadow placed his emerald down, he walked up to Sonic and touched his hand. He was ice cold. But he wouldn't be that way for long. They were going to bring him back, he was sure of it. He then moved away from him and took his place beside Rouge and Omega, but also quite close behind Elise, and allowed the ritual to begin.

Elise was knelt down, with her hands together as if she were praying "Oh Chaos Emeralds, gems of miracles. Please heed my call." The Chaos Emeralds started to glow brighter. Shadow watched closely, he do was praying that this would work. "I wish to save this world. I wish to cleanse my father's sin. And, I wish to talk to Sonic... once again!" The Chaos Emeralds and Sonic's lifeless body began to lift up and levitate in the air _._ Elise slowly got to her feet and began to approach the blue hedgehog "You have given me so many things. Now it is my time to return the favor. I care not what happens to me. But please heed my voice." Elise took a step closer and placed her hand on Sonic's "Sonic, come back! To me... To us!"

A single tear rolled down Elise's cheek and landed on Sonic's face. From that tear came a bright white light that blinded the group. When the light faded, Sonic stood before them, now in his super form. He was alive. Shadow stared at him in awe, much like the others. The feeling of relief washed over him. He was so happy to see that he was back, despite not wanting to show it. Elise cracked a smile, but then collapsed from exhaustion. Luckily, Sonic was there to catch her.

"Thank you, Elise." Sonic said gratefully.

Sonic locked eye contact with Shadow. And for a brief moment, it felt like it was just them, alone together. Nothing needed to be said. Sonic simply nodded his way in gratitude. Shadow smiled in response. That was enough for him. Enough for both of them. They both knew the lengths that they would and had gone to in order to save him. They knew the sacrifices that they would make for each other.

That was enough.

* * *

 **A/N: Remind me to never write in game cutscenes. I had to watch the last story of Sonic 06 several times. Never again. Also, do you like my censorship? I'm 4kids now. Seriously, though, I didn't want to write Shadow's reaction to Sonic getting kissed by a 17 year old human girl. Besides, I think what I put was much more creative. This chapter has the most characters in it out of all my chapters so far, so, hooray!**

 **Anyway, I'll be uploading another chapter that I wrote about a week ago today. And I finished writing the Christmas special yesterday, so that will be uploaded on... Well, Christmas Day. Festive!**

 **Part 2 to chapter 7 will be put up very soon. I'll make sure to label it as part 2.**

 **That's it for now. Let me know what you thought of the chapter. If you have any requests, just go ahead and ask and I'll look into them.**


	9. Chapter 9

"Sonic?" A hand touched his shoulder softly and gently shook him awake. Sonic opened his heavy eyelids to see one of the care home nurses standing in front of him. "You have a visitor" she told him, a bright beaming smile on her face.

She stepped aside, and Sonic, who was still not quite fully awake, looked up to see Shadow standing in the doorway. "Shadow...? I don't believe it..."

"Hey old timer" Shadow greeted, approaching Sonic.

Sonic smiled weakly "It's great to see you" he said.

"Same to you" Shadow replied simply.

"I'll leave you two to it" the nurse stated, walking out of the room and out of sight. Shadow took a seat in the armchair next to Sonic's bed. Sonic turned his head to face him.

"Sorry I didn't visit sooner" Shadow apologised.

"Don't worry about it, you're here now, that's all that matters" Sonic replied. He reached out with a frail hand and touched Shadow's face. "Look at you, you don't look a day older than when I last saw you" he commented.

Shadow lifted his own hand and moved Sonic's away from his face. "I can't say the same about you" Shadow admitted, staring at Sonic and the wrinkles under his eyes and at the corners of his mouth.

Sonic chuckled, which then turned into a cough "That's true... I've seen better days" he agreed. He glanced over at the window for a brief moment before looking back at Shadow "Maybe we could take a walk outside, I'm tired of sitting in bed"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shadow asked concernedly.

"It's fine, I can manage" Sonic assured him, gripping the white bed sheets and pulling them back. Slowly but surely, he swung his legs round and climbed out. Shadow stood up and offered some assistance with a simple gesture of his hand. Sonic linked arms with Shadow and together they walked out of the room.

It took longer to reach the garden than they thought. Getting Sonic down the stairs was an ordeal but once they finally made it, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was autumn, there was a light, cool breeze and hazel brown leaves were being scattered along the grass and concrete path.

"Maybe you should've wrapped up in something warm" Shadow commented.

"I feel fine" Sonic replied simply. "No need to make a fuss" he added.

Since Sonic insisted that he was all well and good, they carried on walking along the path. "So..." Sonic began, striking up a conversation "How have things been at GUN?" He asked.

"Well, it's quiet. Haven't really had to deal with anything major recently." Shadow explained "I've been working with some new recruits and-" he paused "And I've been promoted. I'm a chief now. Keeps me busy"

"That's great" Sonic replied enthusiastically. "I'm happy for you"

"What about you?" Shadow asked.

"Nothing special. I mostly just sit in my bed all day, eating and sleeping. If I'm feeling really adventurous I'll go downstairs and play checkers with some of the other folks here. You're one of the first visitors I've had in a long time"

"Must get rather lonely" Shadow commented.

"I'm not going to lie, it really is"

Shadow looked down guilty "I knew I should've visited sooner" he murmured.

"Don't beat yourself up about it" Sonic said, patting Shadow's arm "It's really not that big of a deal"

The two approached a bench that was placed underneath a large oak tree. The tree still had some of it's leaves remaining, but the wind was blowing the branches and causing what was left to fly away.

"Could we sit down for a little while, my legs are starting to hurt"

"Sure" Shadow responded simply, allowing Sonic to take a seat on the bench before he swiftly followed after and sat next to him.

Sonic placed his hand on Shadow's and squeezed it tightly. Shadow looked down and allowed his hand to intertwine with his. He then looked up at Sonic's face, his wrinkles being expressed even more by the smile on his face.

"I'm really glad you're here" Sonic told him.

"I'm glad too"

"I missed you... Like, a lot" He paused "I thought... I thought you'd never come see me" he admitted.

"I'm sorry I made you feel like that, I just-" Shadow sighed "I wasn't really wrapped up with anything at GUN, I just didn't know if I'd be able to face you, if I'd be able to handle it knowing that one day you'll-" he stopped himself "I've just been putting it off for so long, but I knew I'd have to come sooner or later, or else I would regret it, if something happened"

"It can't be easy, everyone else ages around you while you stay the same. I don't know what I'd do in your shoes" Sonic replied.

"It never gets any easier." Shadow told him. "I came to terms with it a long time ago, but that doesn't change much. It still hurts every time I lose one of my friends... Our friends"

"I know it must have been hard to come here, but I'm thankful that you do. I don't care if it took you this long, all I care about is that you're here... That I got to see you again"

"Well, you're going to see me a lot more" Shadow stated strongly. Sonic looked surprised. "I'll visit whenever I can, and that's a promise"

Sonic smiled "Thank you, Shadow" he said gratefully.

After sitting on the bench for a little while longer and reminiscing about old times, they decided it was time part ways. One of the nurses was waiting for Sonic by the entrance as they said their goodbyes. "I'll come visit you on Monday" Shadow told him.

"I look forward to it" Sonic replied, before turning to walk away. He paused for a moment, and then turned back around. He walked up to Shadow and touched his arm. He then put his other hand on Shadow's back and pulled him in for a hug. Shadow embraced him, wrapping his arms around Sonic and rubbing his back.

"Don't forget about me" Sonic whispered softly.

"I won't, I swear" Shadow responded.

Sonic pulled away and walked over to the nurse, who took him by the arm and led him back inside. Sonic paused once again and waved goodbye to Shadow. Shadow waved back, watching as Sonic disappeared back into the nursing home.

* * *

It was Monday, and Shadow was getting ready to go to the nursing home. He was wrapping himself up warm in a green scarf when he heard the phone ringing. He quickly picked up so that he could get the call out of the way and then get going. "Hello?"

"Hello. Can I speak to Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog?" The voice on the other end asked. It sounded like one of the nurses from the old people's home.

"Speaking" Shadow replied simply.

"Hello Shadow, I'm Sonic's nurse and-"

His suspicions were correct "Oh, hello. I was just on my way to visit" he cut her off.

"Shadow, I'm afraid there's no easy way to say this but-" she paused, and let out a long sigh "Sonic passed away in his sleep last night"

In that moment, it felt like Shadow's world was crashing down around him. He clenched his fist and blinked hard "No..." He muttered.

"I'm very sorry." She apologised "I thought you should be one of the first to know... He talked about you a lot in his last few hours. You two must have been very close"

"We were" Shadow replied, trying his best to not choke on his words.

"There are some of his belongings here... I think he'd want you to have them. You don't have to come right away, I know this is a difficult time"

"No, I'll be there, just give me a little bit of time" he responded.

"Of course, as much as you need."

"He's not still there, is he?" He asked.

"No, he was moved." The nurse told him. "Funeral arrangements will be made soon" she added.

"I um... I have to go, I'll see you in an hour or two" Shadow told her.

"Alright, Shadow. If you need anything, just give us a call"

"I will" he replied simply. He then hung up. He lowered the phone and stared blankly at the ground. In an act of anger, he threw the phone with all his might at the wall. It smashed on impact.

Shadow slumped down into a sitting position on the floor. He closed his eyes and placed his head in his hands.

* * *

He didn't want to go, but he knew he had to. He arrived at the care home and the nurse took him to Sonic's room. It was empty and quiet, the bed sheets were neat and tidy. It felt too clean, as if they were trying to cover up his existence.

The nurse handed him a shoebox. It seemed odd, but Shadow didn't question it. She then touched his arm to show her support and the left him alone so that he could have his space.

Shadow placed the box on the bed and gently removed the lid. The first thing he saw was a picture of him and all of his friends. He and Sonic were standing next to each other, and Sonic had his arm around Shadow's shoulder. Sonic looked so young, so happy... It made him feel sick.

He glanced down at the shoebox, noticing that there was a letter that had been hidden under the picture. It had his name on it.

Shadow picked up the letter. He stared at it for a short while, wondering if he should open it, if it was what Sonic wanted. He finally decided that he should, and sat down in the armchair.

As he opened the envelop, he glanced over at the bed, almost as if he was expecting Sonic to be there.

He wasn't.

Shadow looked back down at the envelop and pulled the letter out. He began to read it.

"To Shadow,

I don't know if you'll ever get to read this, if I'll ever get to send this to you. If you are reading this, then it's safe to assume that I'm gone now.

I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I'm dying, but I didn't tell you. I should have told you. I haven't got that long left. But I don't mind. You know why? Because I got to spend the day with you. I wouldn't have that any other way. I'll die happy knowing that.

I'm sorry that I have to leave you. I'm sorry that I'll leave you alone. I wish I didn't have to, but I don't really have much choice. Just know that I love you. I'll always love you, even after I'm gone.

Don't be sad. Don't feel like you didn't do enough, because you did. You made me feel like it was like old times, that I was young and free, and that everything was possible. You made me feel like that today, Shadow. So when you think of me, don't be sad that I'm gone, just smile and remember the good times that we had.

Don't forget about me. And keep kicking butt for me, won't you?

Forever yours,

Sonic"

A single tear ran down Shadow's cheek. He clutched the letter tightly and pulled it close to his chest. "I will. I promise" he whispered softly.

* * *

 **A/N: Another chapter, just like I promised. I know I said I would stock pile a load... But I got kind of bored. So here's two chapters to make up for it.**

 **Anyway's, my friend cried at this one so uh... Sorry about that.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Christmas Special

Shadow awoke to the sound of his communicator buzzing. He lay in bed for a moment, staring up at the ceiling of his living quarters. He then rubbed his eyes and sat up, peeling back the sheets of his bed, and then answering the call on his communicator.

"Hey Shadow!" Sonic greeted on the other end of the call.

"Hello Sonic" Shadow replied, rubbing his eyes once again.

"Not bothering you, am I?" He asked.

"No..." Shadow responded, before letting out a yawn. "So what's so urgent that you had to call me at 7 o'clock in the morning?" He questioned.

"Oh, well, me and the gang are just finishing setting up for the Christmas party tomorrow. We're having it at Tails' place, and I was wondering... If you're not doing anything this year, maybe you'd like to join us?"

"I'd rather not. I have more important things to do" Shadow grunted.

"Are some of the recruits at GUN doing anything for Christmas?" Sonic asked.

"Most of them have gone home for Christmas. It's just me, really. It doesn't really matter, though"

"You shouldn't really be all by yourself on Christmas" Sonic commented.

"I'll be fine, Sonic. You just focus on enjoying yourself."

"Well, if you're sure..." He trailed off for a moment "I'll see you soon, Shadow. I hope you have a good Christmas"

"You too" Shadow responded simply, before turning his communicator off. He sighed deeply, and lay back down, pulling the bed sheets over him once again. Perhaps he'd have a lie in today.

* * *

Late that night, Shadow was sitting by himself at the dinner table in the mess hall. He had his head rested on one hand, while the other was currently stabbing at his food with a fork, when Rouge walked up to him. "Not hungry?" She questioned.

Shadow glanced up at her, and then turned his attention back to simply staring blankly into space without saying a word.

"Sonic just called me, said he could use some help with the decorations for the party, they're running a bit behind. That's what happens when you leave it till last minute" she told him. Shadow blanked her once again.

"I'm heading over there now and I'll probably be staying the night, so I guess I'll see you whenever the party finishes" she explained.

"Have fun" Shadow replied, finally speaking up.

Rouge stared at him with worried eyes, and then placed her hand on his shoulder "I can stay if you want"

"I'm fine"

"Shadow-" she began.

"I said I'm fine" he insisted.

Rouge sighed "I'll see you later, Shadow" she said, giving him a gentle pat on the back before walking away and leaving him alone.

Shadow stared at the door she had left from, before stabbing his fork into his food and leaving the table.

* * *

It was around half past eleven. Shadow was sitting at his desk, in his room, with his head rested on it. He had thought about contacting Sonic or one of his friends, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

He planned on going to bed soon, so it didn't really matter. At least, that's what he thought, until he heard a knock on the door. Puzzled as to whom would up at such a late hour besides himself, he was almost curious enough to open it. Almost.

He just decided to stay quiet and pretend be asleep. They'd go away eventually.

Another knock. They were persistent, he'd give them that, but Shadow was stubborn enough to ignore them.

"Shadow? Are you in there?" A voice called out.

It was Sonic.

"I need to talk to you... Please open the door"

Shadow sighed deeply. "It's unlocked" he spoke up.

The metal door slid open, revealing Sonic, who was standing in the hallway, wrapped up warm in hat, scarf and winter boots, and covered in snow. The two stared silently at each other for a brief moment. "Is it alright if I come in?" He asked.

"Be my guest" Shadow replied gruffly.

Sonic stepped inside and sat down on Shadow's bed, and began removing his outdoor clothing. Shadow got up from his desk and sat down beside Sonic. "What are you doing here, Sonic?" Shadow questioned.

"I didn't want you to spend Christmas alone, so I thought I'd come spend it with you" Sonic replied. He rested his hand on Shadow's.

Shadow pulled his hand away "I'm sorry that you had a waste of a trip."

"Coming to see you would never be a waste" He replied, leaning towards Shadow, his eyes fixated on his, with their lips almost touching. Shadow closed his eyes and leaned in ever so slightly. They almost kissed, but Shadow pulled away suddenly.

"No, I can't. Not right now"

"Right, sorry" Sonic apologised. He turned away, and looked down, feeling a little awkward.

"You should go back. You worked so hard to organise that party. They need you there, it wouldn't be the same without you" Shadow told him

"It wouldn't be the same without you either" he responded.

"Go back, Sonic" he insisted.

"Not without you" Sonic replied.

Shadow sighed. "Then I guess neither of us will be enjoying Christmas"

"At least we're together, that's what really matters"

"I'd rather be alone" Shadow stated honestly.

"And why is that?" Sonic questioned.

"It doesn't matter"

"It does matter. If something's bothering you then I need to know. I want to help, but I can't do that if you won't tell me what's going on" he explained.

Shadow got up off the bed, with his back to Sonic "You want to help me?" He muttered questionably.

"Of course!" Sonic exclaimed.

Shadow turned to face him, his face masked with no hint of emotion "Then go"

Sonic opened his mouth to say something, but Shadow quickly interrupted him "If you truly cared about me then you would respect my wishes and leave me alone"

Sonic got up off the bed "Are you saying I don't care about you? That's the most stupidest thing I've ever heard! Why would I come all the way here when it's snowing and freezing cold outside just for you if I didn't care?!"

"I'm not saying you don't care, I'm saying that you don't know when to quit. I told you I was fine, that I was alright on my own, but you insisted on coming here, all because you thought it was what I needed."

"Why won't you just tell me what's wrong?" Sonic asked.

"Because I don't have to tell you anything if I don't want to! You don't need to know every single little detail. All I really need right now is for you to just go away!"

Sonic narrowed his eyes "Fine"

He picked up his winter clothing and began to wrap himself up warm again. Shadow watched him silently as he got ready. As Sonic was about to leave, he turned back to face Shadow. "I brought you your present" he muttered, handing him a perfectly wrapped gift. It had green wrapping paper with a red ribbon tied around it in a little bow. It was flat, with it's width smaller than it's length.

Shadow stared blankly at it for a moment. He looked up at Sonic, who was still standing it the room. Shadow assumed that Sonic wouldn't leave until he opened it, so he proceeded to untie the ribbon. It slipped off the gift with ease, allowing him to remove the wrapping paper to reveal the present. It was a frame photo of him and all of his friends.

"It's all of us. Together. The way it should be" Sonic told him. And with those words he left the room. Shadow looked down at the picture, and then rushed out of the room.

"Sonic, wait" he called after him.

Sonic was halfway down the hall, but froze in place. "Don't go"

Sonic turned and walked back towards Shadow. He lifted his hands and gripped Shadow's arms "Please tell me what's wrong"

Shadow nodded "Yeah, okay" he gave in. "You see, back on the ARK, me and Maria we never really got to celebrate Christmas, and-" he paused, shaking his head sadly "I just don't feel like I'd be able to enjoy myself when she never got the chance to. I just doesn't feel right" he explained "I know that I promised myself that I would move on... But it's hard to forget sometimes. I didn't want to come to the party because I knew I'd probably be a downer... So I decided to stay here"

"Shadow... You'd never be a downer. You could be as much as a grump as you wanted and we'd still love you for being there." Sonic told him comfortingly "I know it's hard, but don't you think Maria would want you to happy? To do some of these things for her sake? You've told me so much about her... And I don't think she'd want you to be as miserable as you are"

"Yeah, you're right. But still... I think I might stay here"

"Okay. I'll leave you to it. But if you change your mind then just let me know" Sonic stepped back and then walked down the hall, disappearing out of sight.

Shadow glanced down at the photo once again and then back up at the direction Sonic had left in. He hesitated, but then walked back into his room and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Snow flakes floated down gently from the dark, cloud covered sky, covering the land in a blanket of white. Sonic trudged up to Tails' house and knocked on the door. He waited, letting out a deep sigh, his breath visible in the cold night air.

The door opened, revealing a tired looking fox behind it. "Hey Sonic." He greeted with a yawn, and then allowed him inside.

Most of Sonic's friends were crashing in the living room, all of them fast asleep. "No luck with Shadow?" Tails asked.

Sonic simply shook his head as he proceeded to remove his winter gear. "Oh well, at least you tried"

"What time is it?" Sonic asked.

"A few minutes passed midnight" Tails replied, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"So... It's officially Christmas" Sonic commented, beginning to grin.

"If you're thinking about waking them up then I don't think it's a good idea. Give it a few more hours... Then go crazy." the two tailed fox told him. "I'm off to bed... But there's some hot coco in the kitchen so help yourself"

Tails made his way to his room while Sonic made his way into the kitchen. There he found a freshly made mug of hot coco, with two marshmallows floating on the surface. As he was just starting to drink it, he heard a knock at the door.

Tails was probably out like a light as soon as he got into bed, so Sonic took it upon himself to answer it. He was met by the cold winter wind as soon as he opened it, but more importantly there was someone there that he never would've expected.

Shadow.

The black and red hedgehog stood there, wrapped up warm in a hat and scarf, a small smile on his face "Hello Sonic" he greeted.

"You came" Sonic said, almost stunned.

"Thanks to you" Shadow replied.

Sonic opened the door widely and allowed him to come inside. "I'm glad you're here" He told him, embracing him in a quick hug. He then pulled away and glanced over at the others, who were still fast asleep "And I'm sure they'll be glad too"

"Sonic..." Shadow said, gesturing with a nod at the ceiling. Sonic followed his gaze and noticed that there was a branch of mistletoe stuck up there. They were both standing directly underneath.

Sonic blushed "I- uh- I've never seen that before" he stuttered, scratching the back of his head.

Shadow took a step forwards and kissed him on the lips. He pulled away quickly, smiling fondly at him. "Merry Christmas, Sonic"

Sonic smiled back "Merry Christmas, Shadow"

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone. Hope you enjoyed the Christmas special. Let me know what you think and if you have any requests for a short.**

 **Thanks for sticking with me even though I've been doing this only for a few months now. Thanks for the support, I know Shadow can stray out of character, but I'm trying really hard to do better. This is the first time I've wrote about Sonic characters so I'm still finding my feet.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all have a good Christmas (if you don't celebrate Christmas, then I hope you have a great holiday) and a happy new year.**

 **See you all in 2016! Unless I post a chapter before new year but we'll have to see.**

 **Happy Holidays!**


	11. Chapter 11

Shadow knocked on the apartment door and waited with his arms folded. Mere moments later, the door flung open and Sonic stood there, a bright beaming smile on his face. "Shadow, welcome!" He greeted, embracing him in a hug. Shadow stood there stiffly, unmoving as Sonic finished the hug and allowed him inside.

"Sorry about the mess" he apologised, whilst shutting the front door. Shadow glanced around the living room, noticing that it was littered with boxes. "Haven't really had a chance to put everything away yet." He explained. "Still, it was about time I moved out of Tails' place, huh?"

"Nice place" Shadow commented simply, ignoring what Sonic had said and staring across the room at the balcony window, that was visible through the small gap in the curtains, allowing the setting sunlight inside. "Though I don't really see the point of me coming here, since I could've just come to the house party tomorrow"

"I wanted you to be one of the first to see it" Sonic replied. "I thought maybe you'd like to stay over. We could stay up late, play some video games or watch a movie, or..."

"I suppose I could" Shadow murmured.

"Oh, cool" Sonic responded, a little surprised that Shadow was convinced so easily. "Take a seat on the couch and I'll try and find us a dvd or something" he said, quickly leaving the room.

Shadow sat down on the couch and stared blankly at the TV in front of him. Of all the things Sonic decided to set up, he got the TV sorted. Of course he did. Shadow rolled his eyes. But he couldn't help but feel like that there was something more to this little meet up Sonic had arranged, he just didn't know what. He'd have to get to the bottom of it somehow.

Sonic returned with a dvd in hand "I found this cool action movie" he told him, slotting it into the DVD player and then taking a seat next to Shadow. Shadow put his arm on the arm rest and watched as the movie began to play.

* * *

The movie was decent to say the least. Though Shadow did find it rather tiresome. Sonic had gotten bored and was playing on a handheld game controller. He was leaned against Shadow, pushing the black and red hedgehog to the edge of the couch. Shadow gripped the arm rest tighter.

He glanced other at the balcony, noticing that the moonlight was shining through the crack in the curtains. "I'm going for some air" he stated, moving Sonic aside as he stood up.

He walked over to the balcony window and peeled away the curtains so that he could open the glass double doors. He walked outside, feeling the cold night air as he rested his arms on the railing. Shadow looked up at the pale moon and sighed deeply.

"Everything okay?" Sonic asked, walking onto the balcony and standing next to him.

"I'm fine, I was just..." He paused "I was just wondering why you invited me here"

"You know why" Sonic responded.

"I mean the real reason" Shadow stated, turning to face him.

Sonic scratched the back of his head "Is it that obvious?" He questioned.

Shadow nodded slowly in reply. Sonic sighed "Follow me, there's something I want to show you" he said, leading Shadow back inside. He then took him to his new bedroom. The room itself wasn't that large, but there was a double bed set up and ready to be slept in. But Sonic hadn't owned a double bed, until now at least. Why would he need one?

"Shadow, I didn't get this place just for me" Sonic stated "I got it for both of us" he explained "We've been together for a while now, and I thought it was about time we moved in with each other. You've been cooped up in that room at GUN where there's barely any room to breath for so long, but this place is big enough for both of us"

Shadow was stunned into silence. He never thought that Sonic would do something like this all for him. "Sonic, I... I don't know what to say" he admitted.

"You don't have to say anything" Sonic replied, showing him a key to the apartment, which was mostly like a spare key. He took hold of Shadow's hand and opened it up, pressing the key into his palm and then closing Shadow's fingers over it. Shadow stared at Sonic, and he stared back at him, the blue hedgehog's eyes full of hope.

"Thank you, Sonic" he said gratefully. Sonic smiled from ear to ear, and quickly embraced Shadow it a hug. Shadow stood there stiffly once again, but this time a small smile emerged on his face and he rested his head on Sonic's shoulder.

"So when would you like me to move in?" Shadow asked, still being hugged by his partner.

Sonic pulled away "As soon as possible"

"Well in that case..." Shadow said, walking out of the room with Sonic following from behind "I'll go grab my stuff"

"Don't be too long" Sonic replied, a smirk on his face.

Shadow responded with a 'Hmph' and walked out of the apartment.

* * *

Shadow returned with a black bag over his shoulder. Despite leaving his living quarters, he still worked for GUN, and would continue to work with them even though he was living with Sonic. Things seemed to be moving so fast, but he didn't regret his decision. Not one bit. And he doubted that he would in the near future.

As he entered the apartment, he noticed that it was a lot cleaner now. The boxes that had littered the living room were all missing. Sonic must have put everything away while he was gone. Except for a brown blanket that had been left on the floor.

Shadow dumped his bag by the door and picked up the blanket, folding it over his arm. That's when he noticed a sound that he hadn't acknowledged before. It was snoring.

Sonic was lying stretched out on couch, fast asleep. His shoes had been kicked off his feet, and one of his socks were slipping off. Shadow glanced over at the balcony window, noticing that the light of dawn was shining in.

Shadow walked over to Sonic and wrapped him up in the blanket he picked up. He then gave him a small kiss on his head, which caused Sonic to smile despite still being asleep.

Shadow took this opportunity to unpack his stuff and settle into his new home. But the one thing that really made it feel like home, was Sonic himself.

* * *

 **A/N: I have four chapters that I've stockpiled and will be posting over the next few days.**

 **I hope you all had a good holiday and new year.**


	12. Chapter 12

Sonic arrived home carrying a large bouquet of flowers. There were many different types of flowers within the bouquet, multi-coloured, and neatly arranged. He sniffed the flowers, taking in the elegant scent as he entered the apartment and shut the door behind him.

"Shadow?" He called out, throwing his keys onto the kitchen unit.

No answer.

He was probably still at GUN. It was hard to tell when he would be back. Nevertheless, it gave Sonic time to prepare for his arrival. He hid the bouquet on the far side of the couch and then walked over to the kitchen. He opened up the fridge and took out a bottle of soda, and then poured himself and Shadow a drink.

He then quickly drank his own drink and leaned back against the kitchen unit, trembling nervously. "It'll be fine." he told himself. He looked down at the small dark blue case in his hand and sighed "Hopefully."

He put his glass down and walked over to the couch. He sat down and reached for the TV remote, and turned on the television. It didn't take long before he was up and pacing around the room, glancing up at the clock on the wall. He was already considering whether or not he should call Shadow and ask him when he would be home. But if he did that, Shadow would probably suspect something. He had to resist and just be patient.

He sat back down on the couch. Maybe a small nap would take his mind off everything. He kicked off his shoes and laid down, stretching himself out on the couch. He was out like a light within seconds.

* * *

The sound of the door unlocking caused Sonic to jolt awake. He quickly sat up, and switched off the TV. He then sat back, and tried to look as casual as possible as Shadow entered the apartment.

"Hey Shadow." he greeted.

Shadow walked over and slumped down onto the couch "Hey." he responded. He sounded tired.

"Rough day at GUN, huh?" Sonic asked.

"You could say that." Shadow replied, rubbing his eyes.

"I got you a drink." Sonic stated, getting up and grabbing the glass off the kitchen unit and offering it to him. His hand was still shaking, and Shadow clearly noticed as he toke the glass from Sonic.

"Thanks." he said gratefully, not acknowledging Sonic's nervous shaking as he began to drink. He finished off the soda within a few gulps and placed the glass on the table in front of them. "I think I might go to bed early" he stated, making his move to get up.

"Hang on a sec." Sonic said quickly, taking hold of Shadow's arm. Shadow looked down at him and raised an eyebrow "Please." Sonic added with a small smile and pleading eyes.

Shadow signed and sat back down "Okay," he admitted defeat "What's going on?"

Sonic reached over to his side of the couch and picked up the bouquet. He then handed the bouquet to Shadow. The black and red hedgehog stared at the flowers, and then looked at Sonic, and then back at the flowers, looking puzzled. He took a quick sniff "Um... Thanks." that's the only response he could really come up with, as he was confused by what the flowers were for. "They're nice." he added, placing them on the table.

Sonic took hold of Shadow's hand with both of his and squeezed it gently "Look, Shadow, we've been together for a while now, and I'm really glad that you decided to move in with me," he paused. Shadow gazed at him silently, not wanting to say anything or interrupt "And I've never felt any happier to spend everyday with you. I've been able to tell you so many things, and we've always had each other's backs. We've gone through hardship in the past, but we made it through all that, together. I know you can be a grump most of the time, but you know what, I don't care, because I wouldn't have you any other way. And I know I can be annoying but you seem to put up with it. And-" he stopped himself as he was beginning to ramble "I wanted to take us out to dinner, but you know what I'm like, I just can't wait anymore, so..."

He trailed off as he reached behind his back and produced the small dark blue case "Shadow, will you marry me?" He asked, opening up the case to reveal a golden ring.

Shadow stared at the ring, stunned into silence. It was only mere moment later that he finally found his voice, and he was already nodding "Yes." he answered. He hesitated, but then leaned forwards and kissed Sonic passionately.

They pulled away from each other, and Sonic removed the ring from it's case, and Shadow allowed him to slide it onto his finger. They then kissed once again.

Sonic should've known it would turn out okay. No matter what, Shadow loved him, that wasn't going to change. He was bound to say yes and he had. It had all paid off in the end.

* * *

Sonic was lying in bed, cuddled up to Shadow with his head rested on his chest. Shadow had his arm wrapped around Sonic and his chin rested on his head. Sonic was trying to get to sleep, but sadly hadn't had much luck, he was still buzzing with excitement after the success of his proposal.

"You were nervous, weren't you?" Shadow asked out of nowhere. Sonic glanced up at his partner, who he had assumed was asleep. How long had he been thinking about that and wanting to bring it up?

"Well, yeah, I guess." Sonic replied.

Shadow stared at him silently, waiting for a better response.

Sonic turned his head away from his gaze and buried his cheek in his chest fur "I thought you were going to say no." He admitted.

There was a short period of silence. "I did think about it." Shadow confessed.

Sonic looked up at Shadow once again "Then why didn't you?" He dared to ask.

"Because I love you." Shadow replied simply. "I thought about how you won't always be here, that we won't grow old together, that how we won't always be together... That would make the blow just so much harder," He explained. "But you know what?"

"What?" Sonic asked.

"I don't care. I want to be with you, and I'm not going to let what makes me who I am stop me."

"I'm glad you feel that way." the blue hedgehog told him.

Shadow hugged Sonic tighter and kissed him on the head "I'm glad too."

* * *

 **A/N: I don't ever plan on writing the wedding. I don't know why I wrote this one, I guess I thought it was due a cliche proposal. Also, just to reinforce the fact that none of these are interlinked (unless I say so by writing like a part 2(I have no idea where part 2 to chapter 7 is, it'll turn up eventually)) since they probably get married after this one in some unseen short, doesn't mean that they are married in other shorts. For example, just because they're going to get married, doesn't mean they are married in the aged Sonic short from chapter 9 (which I'm making a follow up to). It's like Sonic Boom. No continuity. Unless I say so.**

 **I'd like to thank Tirainy for pointing out my dialogue errors. I was going to upload this chapter till I saw the recent review and decided to edit this. Hope it looks a bit better now!**

 **I'd also like to make a shoutout to AmyRose'xx. I know em IRL and they've been reading and encouraging me to continue writing these (despite the fact that they ship Sonamy). Helps to boost my fragile ego.**

 **Jokes aside, thanks for all the help. Here's that shoutout you always wanted. This is probably the high point of your life (I'm kidding)**

 **Now that's all said and done, I'm off to edit tomorrow's and Friday's shorts. That's right, two shorts in two days. Like I said, I stock piled a few.**

 **See you tomorrow.**


	13. Chapter 13

Sonic and Shadow watched as the Finalhazard let out a final cry before lowering it's head and dying. Sonic turned to Shadow, and the two shook hands. "We did it!" Sonic exclaimed.

They let go of one another, but immediately afterwards Sonic wrapped both hands around Shadow's waist and pulled him in close. Shadow lifted one hand and placed it on Sonic's shoulder, gripping it tightly, while the other clutched onto his inhibitor ring. Sonic closed his eyes and grinned as they pressed their foreheads together, locked in the moment.

"Sonic, the ARK is still crashing! You have to stop it before it's too late!" Tails cried, shouting through the communicator.

Sonic's smile faded, he quickly looked up at the ARK, that was burning up as it was entering the atmosphere. He looked back at Shadow, and his companion gave him a weak smile and nodded confidently.

"Are you okay? You don't look well." Sonic commented, showing his concern, knowing what they had to face now.

"I'm fine," Shadow replied "Let's finish this." he stated strongly.

Sonic nodded in agreement, and together they began to soar upwards towards the ARK, drawing closer and closer within mere seconds. "No way that's getting through!" Sonic shouted.

He glanced at Shadow, noticing that his companion seemed to be distracted, as if he was lost in thought. He was about to call out to him, but he seemed to regain his composure and focused back on the task at hand.

Now that they were within mere touching distance of the ARK, Sonic shouted out a command "Now Shadow!"

They turned towards each other and used their combined powers to form a large glowing ball of golden light "Chaos Control!" They shouted in unison.

The energy ball surrounded the ARK, and teleported the entire space station back to it's original place. Sonic had been thrown backwards after blasting the energy ball at the ARK, but when he noticed Shadow falling through space, he immediately rushed to his friends aid. "Shadow!" He cried out, managing to reach him in time and grab him.

"Sonic..." Shadow whispered softly "I- I used up too much of my energy." he murmured, barely able to stay conscious "I don't think I'll be able to fly back to the ARK."

"That's okay, I'll carry you." Sonic replied, holding on to Shadow for dear life.

"Sonic, you can't," he replied weakly "You won't be able to stay in this form much longer, and I'll just slow you down."

"What are you saying?!" Sonic cried out. Deep down he knew exactly what he meant.

Shadow let out a deep sigh "You're going to have to let me go." he told him gently.

"No, I'm not leaving you... I can't" Sonic exclaimed. "There's no way."

"You don't have a choice... You have to." Shadow lifted his hand and touched Sonic's cheek. A small tear trickled down his face, and Shadow wiped it away with his thumb "It'll be okay" he told comfortingly. Shadow gazed up at the ARK for a moment and then looked back at Sonic "I did it... I did what Maria wanted... What I promised." he almost choked up, thinking about Maria.

"She would be so proud of you." Sonic told him.

"You really think so?" Shadow questioned.

Sonic nodded, trying to fight back tears. Shadow lifted his other hand and put his inhibitor ring into Sonic's "Look after them for me. All of the people on that planet down there. Take care of them. Promise me you'll do right by them... Right by me."

"Always." Sonic whispered softly.

Shadow's super form was beginning to drain. The golden glow that surrounded him was fading and he was returning to his normal black and red self, starting from his legs and working it's way up. Sonic knew the same would start to happen to him very soon.

Sonic could feel Shadow slipping through his fingers, but he didn't want to let him go. He moved his hands up Shadow's body and placed them on his cheeks. Shadow closed his eyes as Sonic leaned his head in closer and kissed him on the lips.

A kiss goodbye.

Sonic closed his eyes and pulled away. He felt Shadow's hand reach up and touch his. Sniffling softly, he loosened his grip on Shadow. "I'm sorry." he whimpered, allowing Shadow to slip through his fingers even more than he already had.

"Don't be." Shadow whispered.

He let go.

"I love you."

* * *

The metal doors slid open, revealing the rest of Sonic's small group consisting of Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge and Robotnik on the other side.

Sonic stared blankly at the ground, clutching the inhibitor ring tightly. "Where is Shadow?" He heard Rouge ask. He looked up sadly, and simply shook his head in response.

Sonic walked over to Rouge and handed her Shadow's inhibitor ring. "Do you really think... that the professor created Shadow to carry out the revenge on all those who live there, on Earth?" She questioned.

He looked down at the ground sadly "He was what he was. A brave and heroic hedgehog, who gave his life to save his planet. Shadow the Hedgehog..." He stated strongly. He gave his life for Sonic as well.

"I guess you're right..." Rouge trailed off. She then handed back the inhibitor ring "Keep it." she said with a smile and a small wink, clutching Sonic's hands tightly.

He nodded "I will."

Rouge left him by himself and went to talk with Knuckles, while Robotnik was talking with Tails. Sonic stared out of the window at Earth, and then glanced down at the inhibitor ring. He closed his eyes and pulled it close to his chest.

"What's the matter, Sonic?" Amy asked worriedly.

Sonic opened his eyes and looked up at the pink hedgehog. "Oh, it's nothing. Come on! Let's go home! To the planet as cool and blue as me!" He said enthusiastically, trying to put on a brave face. He had to stay strong for his friends.

Everyone left the room, but Sonic paused at the door, and turned back to the windows along the wall. He looked at Earth, the planet that he and Shadow had fought to save. He lifted his hand and gave a small gesture in farewell.

"Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog."

* * *

 **A/N: This is 1 in 3 of small collection of shorts that follows Sonic's loss of Shadow. Part 2 will be up tomorrow.**

 **I know it may be a bit confusing, but if you think they could've made it back in the time that they said their goodbyes, but they were quite a fair distance from the ARK after the blast.**

 **Also, I don't intend on writing a short about either one of them getting pregnant (which has shown up in reviews twice). But I might write something related at some point. Perhaps.**

 **Anyway, see you tomorrow.**


	14. Chapter 14

_"I'm sorry."_

 _"Don't be."_

 _"I love you."_

* * *

Sonic stared at Shadow from afar, clutching the inhibitor ring tightly in his grasp. He had managed to give Amy the slip, and planned on meeting up with Shadow and talking to him properly. The black and red hedgehog was currently busy talking to Omega, so he was waiting for the right moment.

There was just one problem.

Rouge had informed him earlier that Shadow was suffering from amnesia. With this in mind, Sonic was worried how much Shadow remembered of him and the feelings they had once shared for once another.

Every time he looked at him, he remembered what had happened after they had saved the ARK. He had let him die. There was no other way of saying it. At least, that was what he had thought for a long time, and that had been eating away at him. But he was here, he was alive, it felt so surreal, he was still having a hard time believing it.

Omega moved away from Shadow, carrying Metal Sonic in his arms. Sonic seized the opportunity and approached his long lost companion. He reached out and touched Shadow's lower back.

Shadow moved away from his touch almost immediately and turned around, but he remained calm as always and stared at him with a mild, but somewhat confused expression. His reaction made Sonic's heart sink. He knew where this conversation would go before it even begun.

Sonic put his hand by his side "Rouge told me you have amnesia." he informed him.

Shadow crossed his arms "Hmph. And I'm sure the rest of your little circle of friends will hear about it soon enough."

"So... You don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" Sonic questioned. "Do you remember me?" He knew he would regret that question. He didn't care if this would hurt him or not, he just needed to know, to put his mind at rest.

"I remember bits and pieces but when I think back everything seems so... Clouded," Shadow replied "And you... Well, I only really remember your name."

Sonic's world shattered and came crumbling down all around him in that moment. He had seen it coming, but he could have never truly prepared himself. It all came back to him, what they had, what they had shared, and their final moments together. Did all of that even matter anymore? The Shadow he knew and loved was gone... Was he ever going to get him back?

"Are you alright?" Shadow asked, noticing the saddened look on Sonic's face and wondering about his prolonged silence.

"Yeah I'm fine, I just..." He trailed off "It's nothing."

Shadow shrugged it off and turned away. He walked a couple of steps before stopping and looking up at the sky "Sonic..." He began "What exactly are you to me? Are we friends?" He asked.

"You could say that," Sonic replied, walking up to him again "We were a little more than that."

"I see."

Sonic stared at him for a moment "I um... I missed you. I know you don't remember but... I thought- I thought I lost you."

Shadow turned his head towards him "What happened?" He asked.

"Well, um... The last time I saw you, we were stopping the ARK, a space station, from crashing into Earth. But you sacrificed yourself for everyone... For me, and you ended up falling and-" he paused "Well, I thought died." Sonic admitted.

"I'm sorry you had to go through with that." Shadow apologised.

"I'm just glad that you're here, that you're alive," Sonic looked down at the inhibitor ring and then held it up to Shadow "You might want this back."

Shadow stared at the object in Sonic's hand and then looked down at his wrists. Sonic followed his gaze, surprised to find that he had both rings on. "Where did you get that?" Shadow asked, looking back up at Sonic.

"You gave it to me the last time I saw you, I kept it," he explained "But I don't understand, how could you have both?" He questioned, puzzled and confused.

Shadow took the inhibitor ring from Sonic "The Doctor might have something to do with it," he murmured, removing one of his own and replacing it with the one Sonic gave him. He flexed his hand "Hm. It seems to have the same affect," he commented "Thank you, Sonic."

He lowered his hand "So, we were close, right?" He asked.

Sonic nodded "Yes. I didn't know you for very long, but it felt like forever. We had our differences, but something just... Clicked," he explained. "Does any of this ring a bell?" He asked.

Shadow shook his head "I'm afraid not." He replied "I'm trying to remember, but whenever I think back everything is just blank."

Sonic sighed "Don't strain yourself, it's fine." he assured him. He then reached out and touched Shadow's arm "Look, I know you feel like you don't know me, but you do. You just have to trust me on that. And if you ever need to talk, then just ask. I'm going to try my best to help you remember, in fact I will do everything I can. And I don't care how long it takes or if you never remember me and what we had, because as long as you have some of your memories back, then I'm happy, and we can start focusing on making new ones."

Shadow was a little stunned "Well, thank you, that means a lot."

"It's no trouble. Really." Sonic moved his hand away. "Well, I better go, Tails and Knuckles are probably wondering where I am. I guess I'll see you around." He went to walk away, but paused for a second. He then quickly turned around and embraced Shadow in a hug. He closed his eyes as tears began to form, and rested his head on Shadow's shoulder, whilst gripping his companion tightly.

He never wanted to let him go. Not again.

He knew what it would make Shadow feel like, how confused he would be. But he thought he had died. Didn't that at least allow him one hug?

He pulled away and rubbed his eyes, wiping away the tears before Shadow could see them "I'm sorry." he apologised.

"Don't be."

This was awfully familiar, almost like a punch too the gut. Sonic doubted that memory would ever leave him, it would always haunt him. Even the simplest of things reminded him of that fateful day.

Shadow's words pulled him back to reality "I understand that it must be hard... And it sort of felt right, somehow." he admitted.

Sonic backed away "I have to go. I'll see you soon." and with those final words, he ran off.

Despite the fact that Shadow had practically come back from the dead, Sonic couldn't help but feel like he was losing him all over again.

* * *

 **A/N: Part 2 of 3, Sonic's loss of Shadow, though I should probably come up with a better name for this little trilogy.** **There might be some other shorts that come before part 3.**

 **Hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you think in the reviews and I'll see you in the next chapter, whenever I post it since I haven't written one since this one.**


	15. Chapter 15

Shadow stared at the space station through the windows of Sonic's ship. It was good to be alone with his thoughts for a while, where he could think about the events that had transpired and maybe even try to piece together his past. Plus he didn't have to suffer Sonic's annoying presence.

He gazed at the space station, their ship fast approaching it. He felt like he had been here before.

 _Space colony, ARK..._ He thought to himself. _This place... so familiar but why?_ He wondered. He slowly rolled his head back and closed his eyes. _This_ _is... where I..._

Images flashed through his head. He saw Sonic and the stars... And a giant lizard attached to the space station... He saw the space colony ARK burning up in the atmosphere as it was on a collision course with earth... And then... Then he saw nothing but the cold vacuum of space... He could feel himself falling through the emptiness... Looking up at nothing but the stars... Wait, there was something else, something moving back towards the ARK...

Was... Was that... Sonic?

His eyes shot open "Died...?!" He exclaimed out loud. He felt short of breath, almost as if he had felt that fall all over again... Even the impact. He glanced down at his hands, unable to believe that he was still here... How could he? How was he still alive?

His thoughts were interrupted when Sonic came up behind him and placed his hand on the dashboard. He looked out of the window and at the legions of aliens surrounding the ARK. "Looks like we got a fight on our hands." he commented.

The blue hedgehog glanced at Shadow "You up for this, Shadow?" He asked. "It'll be just like old times!"

He reached for Shadow's hand, almost like it was instinct, but then quickly retracted his own hand. Sonic's expression saddened and he quickly turned his head away, as if he couldn't bare to look at him.

Shadow was puzzled. Sonic always acted so cocky around him, in fact he was like that around everyone, but whenever he was around Shadow, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. It was hard not to notice it. He always wondered why.

He decided to change the subject, perhaps he could make Sonic go back to his normal self. Seeing him so sad... It gave Shadow an odd feeling, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. "I'm up for it." He told him.

Sonic turned his head towards him, a small smile on his face. Seeing him happy... It gave Shadow a good feeling inside. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Sonic exclaimed, before running off.

Shadow clenched his fist and then charged after Sonic.

* * *

Shadow stared down at the Chaos Emerald in his hand that he had managed to collect. He had also beaten Sonic in a race to find it, and it had hardly even been a challenge.

But that didn't really matter. He had managed to regain some of his memories, the day when he and Sonic had saved the ARK. Not only that but he remembered what Sonic really meant to him... And the feelings that he had felt deep down all this time made so much sense now.

"Hey, you found the chaos emerald!" He heard Sonic's voice coming from behind. Shadow looked over his shoulder, and sure enough, there he was, the blue blur himself. "Great work, Shadow." He told him encouragingly.

"I remember you." Shadow stated.

Sonic stared at him blankly.

He turned to face his companion "I remember."

Sonic looked stunned. He walked up to him. He lifted both hands and held them on each side of Shadow's face, almost as if he was be holding him. Shadow didn't move, he didn't flinch, he just stared at Sonic.

A laugh escaped his lips. It was filled with happiness and excitement. Tears began to form in Sonic's eyes as he wrapped his arms around Shadow and pulled him in for a hug. Shadow embraced him.

"I missed you so much." He whimpered "I missed us."

"Me too." Shadow replied, rubbing his back soothingly. "I'm so sorry, for everything that I put you through." He apologised.

"You couldn't help it, it wasn't your fault. You don't have to be sorry." Sonic assured him. He then pulled away from Shadow and wiped away his tears.

"Thanks for not giving up on me." Shadow said gratefully.

"I'd never give up on you." Sonic replied. "Never."

"Deep down... I still had the same feelings for you, even if I couldn't remember."

"I'm glad." Sonic replied with a smile "I'm glad you got your memories back." He then added.

"There are some things that I would've liked to have stayed forgotten... And there are some things that I still need to remember." Shadow told him "To tell you the truth... I'm afraid... What if I don't like who I once was?" He questioned.

"You've come this far, why stop now?" Sonic replied.

"Black Doom... He'll have some answers, perhaps we should pay him a little visit." he suggested.

"Let's take him down." Sonic stated strongly, clenching his fists.

Shadow nodded "Agreed."

He paused for a moment, and glanced up at the Black Comet. He then looked back at Sonic "Sonic, I just want you to know, whatever happens from now on... I will never stop loving you." he told him compassionately.

Sonic smiled "I know."

The two looked up at the Black Comet. Black Doom was up there, he was sure of it. He had tried to manipulate him before... But this time, it was different. He took Sonic's hand and squeezed it tightly. He felt Sonic squeezing his.

He had Sonic. That's all that mattered.

* * *

 **A/N: Part 3 of the 3**

 **I put them back to back which is good. I had planned on setting this in the last story of Shadow the Hedgehog, but I thought it fitted much better into the Semi-Hero/Hero story, with the Space Gadget section.**

 **I took some liberties with the dialogue in the beginning. Sonic's lines were so cheesy, and I couldn't let him continue as normal with what's going on in his and Shadow's relationship, so I tweeked it so that he showed much more emotion and is actually aware Shadow has amnesia (since everyone in the game seems so incredibly stupid, they don't realise it or tell Shadow anything about his past, though he really should've asked)**

 **I'm not here to talk about the flaws of that game though. Just writing fluff, if you could call it that anymore. All of them seem to be jam packed with emotion. I'm sure I'll get back to writing fluff eventually.**

 **I have a follow up to the aged Sonic short coming up tomorrow so... That one is pretty sad too.**

 **See you all later.**


	16. Chapter 16

It was hard getting through each day, knowing that Sonic was no longer there. It had been 4 months since his passing, but Shadow had still not recovered from his loss, and it was doubtful that he ever would. Day after day, all he could think about was how he had not been there for the last few years of Sonic's life, that he had shut himself away for his own selfish needs.

The one thing that remained in his thoughts the most was just how much he missed him. He had never realised how much he had taken their love for granted, and now that he was gone, it was like there was an empty void that could never be filled. Shadow had never felt so truly alone till now, he was broken hearted, and felt so lost without him.

On the anniversary of Sonic's death, Shadow decided that he was going to do something incredibly stupid. Grief and regret had finally gotten to him, he wanted to fix his past mistakes. He just had to do this, he had to make it right, and he knew exactly how. It was a huge risk, but that didn't really matter to him anymore. Sonic mattered, he wanted to do right by him, he wanted to see him again, for one last time. If it meant tearing apart the fabric of space and time, then he would do it. He didn't have much else to lose.

Shadow got in contact with Omega and planned on meeting him outside of GUN. He didn't want to get caught doing suspicious activity on site, so getting as far away as possible was the best option.

Shadow was currently sitting in the shade of a tree, with his eyes closed and head rested on the trunk, taking in the scent of fresh grass, and spring flowers. He could feel patches of sunlight shining through the gaps in the branches of the tree, and warming his fur. It was... Peaceful. It was almost as if he could forget all about his recent troubles and simply sit there and let time pass him by. Time... He had enough of that already.

His thought process was brought to a sudden halt when he heard the clunking of metal joints. He opened his eyes and sat up, watching as Omega walked up the small hill towards him. The robot stopped a fair distance away once he reached the top.

"Greetings, Shadow." Omega said in his usual robotic voice.

"Hello, Omega." Shadow responded, climbing to his feet and approaching the robot.

"How are you feeling?" He questioned.

"I could be better." Shadow admitted. "Did you get what I asked you for?" He asked, changing the subject. He didn't really want to talk about his feelings. Even if he did, he wouldn't want to discuss them with Omega. You couldn't exactly open up to a robot.

"Yes. Two chaos emeralds were retrieved as requested." Omega informed him. A compartment in his lower body opened up to reveal two chaos emeralds within. Omega took them out and then held out his hand to Shadow. He then took the emeralds from him.

"Thank you, Omega. You did well." Shadow told him, looking down at the chaos emeralds in both hands. He had discovered some time ago that the chaos emeralds had the potential energy to make time travel possible. He had kept this discovery a secret from his friends, since he didn't want the information to fall into the wrong hands.

Now that he had the chaos emeralds he needed, he could finally make things right. He just hoped that he only would be able to perform the act.

"You have a strong desire to do this." Omega commented "Are you sure this is wise?" He asked.

"I want to do this. I have to make it right, or else I'll never be able to move on."

"Don't cause a paradox." he warned.

"Don't worry. I know what's at stake here. I'm not going to change time. At least, I won't try to." Shadow told him.

Shadow took a step back and began to picture the place he wanted to go back to. Hopefully the chaos emeralds would take him there. They were already starting to glow brighter. "Thank you for your help Omega. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Omega didn't respond.

Shadow closed his eyes and concentrated harder on exactly when and where he wanted to go. Now that he had a clear picture in his head, he felt ready. "Chaos..." He began, feeling the power of the emeralds beginning to build up "Control!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, and opening his eyes once again.

A bright light erupted from the emeralds, blinding Shadow with it's intensity. When the light cleared, he needed some time to allow his eyes to adjust. Once he eventually regained his sight, he began to take in his surroundings. He was still outside, although the sky was now dark and clouded, mostly likely because it was nighttime. It was cold, and autumn leaves were scattered by his feet.

He looked up, seeing the care home in front of him. Shadow was amazed. He had done it, he had time travelled. Not only that, but the chaos emeralds had taken him where he had wanted to go. He rushed towards the care home, briefly glancing at the bench he and Sonic had sat on as he ran. He paused outside, remembering what he had told Omega.

He had to be careful. He couldn't let the nurses see him. He was messing with his own timeline. He had to make sure that nothing changed for the Shadow of this point in time, or else there could be major consequences.

Instead of going through the front entrance, he snuck in through one of the downstairs windows. Once he was inside, he made his way upstairs and paused outside Sonic's room, pressing his ear up against the door.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" Shadow heard the nurse ask.

"I'm sure." he heard Sonic reply. It was so good to hear his voice after all this time.

"In that case... Goodnight, Sonic."

Shadow pulled back from the door and quickly ducked into a room on his left. The person staying in that room was thankfully asleep. He opened the door slightly, and peaked out through the gap. Sonic's nurse walked by and made her way downstairs.

Once he was in the clear, he exited the room and entered Sonic's. Sonic was lying in bed with his eyes closed. He was breathing loudly, with every rise and fall of his stomach making a rattle.

Shadow watched him for a moment, before gently shutting the door behind him. Sonic did not stir. He approached the bed and took hold of Sonic's hand, squeezing it tightly, and then lifting it up and kissing it.

"Uhhh..." Sonic groaned, opening his eyes. He looked up at Shadow and then blinked a couple of times. "Shadow...?" He murmured. "What are you... doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to see you." Shadow told him. His eyes were beginning to sting, but he couldn't allow himself to cry. Not yet.

Sonic chuckled "You saw me two days ago."

"I had feeling that something might be wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Sonic assured him. Even in person he didn't want to admit what was happening, even if these were his final moments. "Though it's good to know that you were worried about me." He added "Come on, join me, sit down on the bed." He said, patting an empty space with his free hand.

Shadow sat down and got as close as he could to Sonic, forever keeping hold of his hand. Sonic smiled at him weakly.

That smile. That smile was enough to bring back 4 months of grief all at once. The time they had together right now was short, and there were so many things that he had never gotten to say. He had to make all of this count.

"I love you, you know that, right?" Shadow asked, almost choking on his words.

"Of course I do." Sonic replied, lifting his other hand and touching Shadow's face. "And I love you too."

"I'm so sorry." he apologised.

"For what?" Sonic questioned. "Shadow, what's going on with you, is everything alright?" He asked.

Shadow shook his head "No, everything is not alright" he replied "I've been so selfish. I haven't been putting you first, I left you alone here for so long, just because I was too scared to face you. I should've been here, I should've been by your side, but I wasn't, and it's all my fault because I shut everyone out." He paused for a moment "I'm so sorry if I hurt you in any way."

"Oh Shadow" Sonic said softly "You're not selfish. If you were, then you wouldn't have come back. But you did, because you wanted to make up for your mistakes, and to make it right. You've always put me first, Shadow. But not just me, but our friends too. Why would I be hurt? You don't need to be sorry, I understand why you didn't come see me for so long. It's so hard for you, but you were strong, and you were brave enough to do something you were afraid of. You've always been there for me Shadow, even when you weren't by my side. I'm eternally grateful for that."

They stared at one another for a brief moment, before Sonic opened up his arms to him "Come here."

Shadow moved in close and hugged Sonic. The blue hedgehog wrapped his arms around Shadow, putting one hand by his head and running his fingers through his quills. Shadow gripped Sonic tightly, burying his face in Sonic's chest as tears began to run down his cheeks. He couldn't bare to look at him anymore.

"Promise me something," Shadow began. He knew he was going to regret this. "Promise me that you won't leave me. I can't- I can't lose you too." He looked up at Sonic with teary eyes, something he didn't expect he would do.

Sonic gazed down at him, meeting eye contact "I'll never leave you, Shadow. I'll always be here for you, like you were there for me."

They held their embrace for what felt like forever, before Sonic spoke up once again "I'm feeling a little tired... I think... I think I'm going to have a little rest."

This was it. Shadow could feel it. He pulled away, but took hold of Sonic's hand once again. One last time. "You rest, Sonic." He told him comfortingly.

The corners of Sonic's mouth twitched, but he wasn't able to form a smile "You won't go anywhere, will you?" He asked.

"No. I'll be right here."

"That's good... Because the truth is... I don't want to be alone either."

"You'll never be alone." Shadow told him.

"And neither will you" Sonic replied.

He laid his head back on the pillow, his eyelids fluttering "Do you remember when we had a race on the ARK?" he asked.

"How could I forget?"

"You forgot a lot of things back then." Sonic quipped "Even still... I never felt so evenly matched until that moment. It was as if... We were made for each other."

Shadow smiled. That was something he hadn't done in a long time. "It wasn't exactly love at first sight, though."

Sonic chuckled lightly, but then proceeded to cough "That's true. Anyway, I better get some shut eye... I'll see you in the morning, Shadow."

"Sleep well, Sonic."

Shadow leaned over and kissed Sonic on the head. Sonic closed his eyes and smiled as he drifted off into sleep. "I'll miss you." Shadow whispered softly.

Moments later, Sonic's grip on Shadow's hand loosened and his breathing stopped.

* * *

Shadow sat outside on the bench, staring down at Sonic's letter to him, which he had kept all this time. His eyes were red and puffy, with tear streaks still on his cheeks, so he doubted that he would be reading it. Not that he wanted to. He had lost track of the amount of times he had read it.

He thought that doing this would make him feel better, knowing that Sonic hadn't died alone. Why did he feel so much worse? What more could he possibly do? He looked over at the two chaos emeralds and then back down at Sonic's letter. Maybe... Maybe he had one more stop to make.

* * *

"Sonic?" Shadow called out to him.

A younger version of Sonic was laying down on some grass. He opened his eyes and looked up at Shadow, who was standing over him and casting a shadow on his face.

"Oh hey, Shadow." Sonic greeted, climbing to his feet. "Haven't seen you in a while, what's up?" He asked.

The Shadow of this point in time was out of the picture. Good.

"Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you." He informed him. He was still taking in Sonic's face. It had been so long since he had seen this Sonic, the Sonic he had fell in love with. He had missed this.

"You came all this way just to talk to me? Wow, I'm flattered!" Sonic replied cheerfully, despite it being a snarky remark "So what do you want to talk about?"

"I need some advice. I'm going through I tough time at the moment... I um... I lost someone close to me."

"Anyone I would know?" Sonic asked.

"Not really." Shadow lied.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Shadow. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I don't really want to talk about it. I just wanted to ask... How do you do it? Move on all the time, and just leave bad things behind. How do you make it so easy?"

"It's never easy." Sonic stated simply "I just figure that I should try and be happy, and stay strong for my friends. I think it's what they, and even the people that we've lost, would want." he explained.

"Is it what you would want?" Shadow asked.

"Well, sure. I'd want you to be happy. It's important that you are, so that you can keep moving forward and stay strong. That's what matters to me. I wouldn't want you to look back at all the good times we had and be sad, I would want you to be happy that we got to spend so much time together. You can't grieve forever, you just have to cherish their memory instead. Do you understand?"

Shadow nodded. There it was, everything he ever needed, right from the deceased himself. "Yes. Thank you, Sonic" he said gratefully.

"No problem. Anything for you, Shadow"

Shadow paused for a moment, taking in Sonic's face. He looked so young... He was probably in the early stages of his and Shadow's relationship... He sure had a wild ride ahead of him. He still wasn't used to it, even though he would be leaving soon. Even still... After everything that he had been through, perhaps he could... If time itself would allow it...

To hell with it.

Shadow took a step forward and embraced Sonic in a hug. Seeing this Sonic again, being able to hold in his arms... Was enough to help him forget 4 months of grief and loss. He just had one more thing to say. "I want you to remember, no matter what happens between us, I'll always be there for you" Shadow told him.

Sonic patted his back "Same here"

* * *

Shadow returned to his own time. Omega was there, ready and waiting, though it was unclear how long he had actually been there. Shadow silently handed the chaos emeralds to the robot, and he put them away in his compartment. "How are you feeling now?" Omega questioned.

Shadow looked up at him and gave him a small smile "Much better"

He was going to take Sonic's advice. He would never forget him and always cherish his memory. After all, love never dies.

* * *

 **A/N: A follow up to the aged Sonic short (chapter 9). This is probably the longest out of all of the shorts. I hope you like it.**

 **I've been looking at my ideas list (I keep one) and I noticed that there are less emotional ones after this one, yay! Honestly, the chapters aren't going to be as heavy as they have been recently.**

 **Thanks for for the support for yesterday's chapter, it was really nice to read the reviews. And just thanks for the support in general. I don't know why I went down this emotional, sad path. I never intended for these to get so sad, I just saw potential to tell good stories based around who Shadow is and how that affects Sonic. There's a lot to work with.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will be pretty happy, no death or anything which is always a bonus.**

 **I'll see you then. Thanks for reading, I hope the sad stuff didn't put you off.**


	17. Chapter 17

Sonic awoke after a good nights rest. He felt the light of the morning sun warming his back as he lay in bed, facing the blue painted wall. Another day, another Olympic event to tackle. But first, he wanted to cuddle Shadow. So, with his eyes still closed, he rolled over and reached out his arms, ready to snuggle up to his partner. His fingers touched an empty space where Shadow should've been.

Sonic opened his eyes and sat up, glancing around the room that he and Shadow were sharing over the course of the Winter Olympics. Shadow was at the other side of the room, knelt down and putting some sport equipment into a bag, though Sonic didn't really see what it was.

The black and red hedgehog glanced over his shoulder, noticing that Sonic was awake. He quickly zipped up his bag and stood up, walking over to the edge of the bed. "Morning sleepy head." Shadow greeted, though his tone was the same as ever.

Sonic rubbed his eyes sleepily "Morning." He replied.

Shadow knelt down and picked up a tray, which had a plate with eggs and bacon on it. "I got you breakfast." He stated simply, walking over and placing the tray on Sonic's lap.

Sonic grinned and began to tuck into his morning meal "Mm. Still warm. Thanks Shadow." He said gratefully.

"It was nothing. Still, just don't eat it so fast, there's no rush. We still have half an hour before training."

"Oh, yeah, training. I almost forgot." Sonic murmured, still eating his breakfast. "What is tomorrow's event?" He asked.

"Skating." Shadow replied simply.

"You mean like speed skating? Because I'm great at that. I won a gold medal in the last Olympics and set a new world record."

Shadow shook his head "No Sonic. Figure skating." He explained "With a partner." he then quickly added.

Sonic almost choked on a bit of egg "What?!"

* * *

Mario and Peach were practicing out on the ice rink while Shadow and Sonic waited on the sidelines. Shadow was standing ready and waiting, though Sonic was still sitting on the bench, struggling to get his ice skates on.

"You don't understand, Shadow, I'm terrible at figure skating." Sonic told him. "Stupid ice skates!" He exclaimed in frustration.

Shadow got down on one knee "Here, let me help you." He offered, taking hold of Sonic's skates and putting them on for him.

Sonic sighed "Thanks, Shadow. At least we'll be working together."

"Yeah, about that..." he trailed off.

"What is it?" The blue hedgehog questioned.

"I'm not going to be your partner. It's teams of males and females. Can't be both of one or the other." he explained.

"But I was looking forward to working with you. We've always been competing against each other, it would've been nice to win something as a team for once." Sonic replied sadly.

"I don't make the rules, Sonic. Sorry." Shadow apologised. "There we go." he muttered, finishing putting on Sonic's skates and rising to his feet.

Sonic also got up, but almost lost his balance on the ice skates, only to quickly recover "Wait, if I'm not working with you, then who is?" He questioned.

"Oh Sonic!" He heard a voice exclaim.

Sonic looked at Shadow with an expression of pure horror "Oh no." Was the only thing he managed to say. The next thing he knew, he was being suffocated by Amy, who considered what she was doing to be a 'hug'.

"I'm so excited to be your partner! It's like fate that we were put together." Amy said cheerfully.

"Yeah, great..." Sonic muttered, feeling rather breathless. He then turned to Shadow "Help me out here" he pleaded.

"You're on your own." Shadow replied, a smug look on his face. He then walked away and approached Blaze, who Sonic assumed was his partner.

Amy finally released Sonic from her 'hug'. However, his freedom didn't last long. She immediately grabbed hold of his hand and practically dragged him over to the ice rink "Come on, Sonic, let's go practice!" She cried enthusiastically.

"Sure thing, Amy." Sonic sighed, admitting defeat. There was no way out of working with Amy, so he just had to accept it. Who knows, maybe she wouldn't be so bad to work with. She had come second place for figure skating in the last Winter Olympics. Maybe her skills could rub off on him. Even still, he just wasn't sure if he could do this. He had never figured skated before, and the event was tomorrow. How could he be possibly ready in time? All he could really do was make the time he had now count.

Sadly, that was not the case. Sonic just couldn't master the routine. His steps were all wrong and he couldn't do the death spiral. And when it came to lifting, he just kept dropping Amy. She was patient at first, but after the fourth or fifth time of being dropped, she began to get frustrated. Though she did try her very best to not show it.

"Well, you've gotten better!" Amy commented at the end of the training session. She was trying to stay positive. "Just try your best, I'm sure we'll win tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure." Sonic replied glumly. He didn't share the same enthusiasm she had.

"I'm off to get some rest so I'll be awake and refreshed for the event." Amy stated. "See you tomorrow!"

Amy skated to the edge of the rink and got off. Sonic watched her go, before turning to look over at Blaze and Shadow, who were talking to one another. As he too made his way off the ice, he managed to listen in on a bit of their conversation.

"I never knew you were so good at figure skating, Shadow." Blaze told him.

"I still have some secrets." Shadow replied.

Sonic sighed, walking passed Shadow quickly in order to avoid getting into a conversation. Tomorrow was going to be a disaster.

* * *

Sonic buckled up his ice skates and went back onto the ice. It was quiet, with not a single person around. If he was going to stand a chance tomorrow, he had to practice the routine until he got it right. Maybe he'd be able to master it better on his own without having to worry about Amy.

He practiced his steps. Then he had to jump and spin. That went about as well as he expected, since as soon as he landed he lost his balance. He would've fallen if he hadn't managed to grab the edge of the rink.

"Sonic?" He heard a voice call out to him.

He looked over his shoulder to see Shadow at the other side of the rink. How long had he been standing there? Sonic skated over to him. "What are you doing here?" Sonic asked.

"I could ask you the same question." Shadow responded.

"I just wanted to get this routine right before tomorrow. I thought I might be able to learn it on my own... But it's not going as I'd hoped." He admitted.

Shadow looked down at the ground for a brief moment, and then looked back at Sonic "Wait there, I'll be right back." He stated, giving Sonic's hand a gentle pat before walking off.

Sonic skated to the centre of the rink and waited for Shadow to return. He wasn't gone very long, and came back wearing ice skates.

"What are you doing?" He questioned.

"I'm going to help you practice. I'll fill in for Amy." Shadow told him.

"But, we're competing against each other, why would you help me?"

"I'm not going to let us being on opposite teams stop me from helping you. Now let's get practicing." Shadow held out his hand. Sonic hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and began to skate with him.

He started off well, but then came the lift. "I'm not sure if I can do this. What if I drop you?"

"You won't. And even if you do, we'll just keep trying until you get it right."

Sonic placed his hand on Shadow's chest and lifted him up in the air. He lost his balance and almost dropped him as soon as they began the lift. "Sorry!" Sonic cried out.

"It's fine." Shadow replied. "Again."

Sonic tried the lift once more and failed.

"Again."

He tried for the third time. He failed.

"Again."

He tried for the fourth time and failed once more.

"I can't do it!" Sonic exclaimed in frustration. He let go of Shadow's hand and skated to the edge of the rink. He sat down on the ice, feeling the chill rush through his body. He tried to ignore it and pulled his legs up to his chest.

Shadow skated over to him and knelt down beside him. "You can't give up, Sonic. You have to keep trying." Shadow told him.

"But no matter how hard I try I don't get any better. I'll end up letting Amy down. Maybe I should just drop out... But even if I did I would still disappoint her. Either way I'll lose... Maybe it's not too late for her to get a new partner, she'd be better off without me."

"You know that's not true. You can do this, you just lack the confidence. But I know you can do this, I believe in you, you just need to believe in yourself. You've always been there to give me advice when I needed it, and our friends too, you've never stopped believing in us. Now it's time for you to take your own advice, and just keep trying." Shadow offered Sonic his hand "So do you want to give it another go?"

Sonic lifted his hand, glancing up at Shadow, who gave him a reassuring nod. Sonic glanced at Shadow's hand and then finally took it.

* * *

It was the day of the event and Sonic and Amy were about to go onto the ice. Shadow and Blaze had been on just before them, and their performance was remarkably good. Amy was nervous, but was also trying to keep her cool "It'll be fine... It'll be fine..." She muttered to herself. She then looked at Sonic "We can do it!"

Sonic felt someone take his hand. He looked around to see Shadow standing behind him. The black and red hedgehog gave him a small smile "You can do this." he encouraged him. He then leaned in and kiss Sonic on the cheek "For luck."

"Oh, Sonic, it's us! We're on next!" Amy exclaimed.

"Here goes nothing..." Sonic muttered, following Amy onto the ice. It was now or never. Before they started, Sonic noticed Shadow waiting on the sidelines with Blaze. He gave him a nod, and Sonic returned it. He could do this, he knew he could.

And he did. He didn't mess up, not once. All that practicing finally paid off in the end. Amy hugged him "We did it, Sonic, we won!"

"We did?" Sonic stammered, surprised by how well he did.

"The award ceremony will be starting soon, we have to get ready."

Sonic glanced over at Shadow "I'll be there in a second." He replied. He picked up one of the flower bouquets that had been thrown onto the ice after the performance and skated over to Shadow. "These are for you." he said, holding the bouquet out to him.

"Thanks," Shadow said gratefully, taking the bouquet "And congratulations on winning" he added. "Not bad, for a beginner."

Sonic chuckled "I couldn't have done it without you."

* * *

Sonic and Shadow arrived back at their room after the award ceremony, both adoring their medals. Sonic's being gold and Shadow's being silver. Shadow removed his shoes and put on some slippers, while Sonic just kicked off his shoes.

"You know..." Sonic began, slowly removing his medal. "You deserve this medal as much as I do."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. I didn't do anything, it was all you." Shadow responded supportively.

Sonic smiled. He walked up to Shadow and put the medal around his neck "I award you this medal for being the best partner in the world."

Shadow couldn't help but laugh, breaking his usual serious tone "That was so cheesy." He commented.

"I know." Sonic replied, leaning in and kissing Shadow on the lips. He may have won the competition, but he still owed Shadow a lot. It just wouldn't have been possible without his love and support.

* * *

 **A/N: Isn't it great how Shadow can just make breakfast out of thin air?**

 **Honestly, I gave up halfway through this one. I was even considering jus scrapping it and not posting it at all. From my perspective it seems pretty... Uh... Shitty. Pardon my language. I don't know why it ended up like it is, and it pains me to see this idea so poorly done. But maybe you thought it was, good, I don't know. I'll let you form your own opinion on that. Just let me know.**

 **The worst part of it is that I was really looking forward to writing this one...**

 **Still, you don't want to read how I don't like my own writing (sometimes, not all the time). I don't know what idea I'll be writing next so here's a few from my list, and you could perhaps pick one and whichever idea has the most votes wins. I don't know how long I'll wait before I stop counting votes.**

 **(Please don't write just the vote in the review, I really need to know if this chapter really is as bad as I think it is. I don't mind your honesty at all)**

 **So here's some to pick from:**

 **Body swap (not between Shadow and Sonic themselves)**

 **Sonic is injured and Shadow has to nurse him back to health**

 **Sonic and Lancelot**

 **That's it. All three will be written at some stage, just which one do you want to see first.**

 **One last thing, about the chapter itself, I don't want to make excuses about why it might not be up to standards (I don't know how you feel about it until I see for myself in the near future) but things are a little rough for me outside of writing at the moment and it's all beginning to pile up and really starting to get to me. I'll be fine.**

 **But it's still not an excuse and I'm sorry if I let you down. I'll do better next time.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey everyone, I'm up here now! I'm so edgy by changing my formula.**

 **So the body swap plot won by like 2 votes I think. It was what I was hoping for, since I kinda like body swap sub plots. I don't know why. This chapter is pretty long, so I can't really call it a 'short' and I was considering splitting it into 2 parts, but I didn't know where to split it, nor did I want to butcher it. Here's this really long one instead. Treat it as a gift.**

 **This one takes place in the Sonic Boom universe, something I haven't done in a while. Have you seen 'The Meteor' episode? Because this one is based off that episode. But with Shadow (hopefully it doesn't seem like he's been shoehorned in). I took some liberties, making it so that Shadow is on somewhat good terms with Team Sonic. I also wrote this one in a way that it's from Shadow's POV but in the third person, so it's like looking over his shoulder, if that makes sense. Just to mix it up a bit.**

 **I'll probably write at the bottom too, I don't really know, I haven't finished editing yet, and I'm probably going to leave this sentence in. Enjoy!**

* * *

Shadow had been invited to a campfire Sonic and his friends were having on the beach. He had refused Sonic's offer without much thought. Despite the fact that he and Sonic were in a relationship, he wasn't interested in getting involved with Team Sonic's 'fun' activities. He wasn't the type of person to sit around and relax, nor mess around when bored. Plus he couldn't really stand to be around Sonic's friends for very long. He couldn't even comprehend the idea of having to work with them, something Sonic just couldn't understand. He had wanted to get Shadow into Team Sonic for a long time, but his answer would always be no. He may work with them from time to time, but overall he preferred to work alone.

He was currently standing on top of a ridge, staring up at the starry sky and watching the different coloured meteors fly over head. He had been keeping tabs on the meteor shower for a while now. He glanced down at the beach, noticing the aforementioned campfire glowing brightly in the darkness. He narrowed his eyes and squinted at the orange flame. He could only just make out Sonic and his friends from this distance. They sure looked like they were having fun...

Shadow shook his head and looked up at the meteors once again. Just then, a large purple meteor came souring through the sky, coming dangerously close to the ground. He followed the meteor with his gaze, watching as it descended and came crashing down beyond the trees. There was a bright purple flash and shock wave that caused the rocks below his feet to tremble.

He had to investigate the meteor before anyone else could interfere. He glanced down at the beach, just to make sure everyone was alright. They could've been hit by some more falling rocks for all he knew. The group were fine. But they were racing off somewhere in a hurry, in fact they were heading in the direction of where the meteor had fallen...

"Oh no." he muttered. He could only imagine what those fools could be up to. Not wanting to waste another second, he quickly teleported himself to the crash site. Shadow's teleportation was on point, as he had managed to put himself directly above the meteor's location. He couldn't help but be impressed by his own skills sometimes.

He knelt down at the edge of the deep hole, and looked down at the purple rock that was surrounded by it's impact crater. This was a major find. He'd have to get down there and remove it before anyone else could tamper with it. He could sense that it had some potential power, but he wasn't sure if it had the same abilities as the chaos crystals. He'd have to test it.

"Oh hey, Shadow!" He heard Sonic's voice coming from behind him.

Shadow pushed himself off the ground and stood up, and then turned to face Sonic. The blue hedgehog was smiling warmly at him.

It was good to see him. He couldn't say the same thing about his friends.

"Looks like you got here first." Sonic commented, looking down at the meteor.

What was this, some sort of race? Shadow thought to himself. He couldn't understand Sonic's mentality sometimes. "Hmph." He grunted in response, and then folded his arms. He couldn't show much affection towards him in front of his friends.

"Think again, Sonic!" A familiar voice exclaimed.

"Eggman?!" Sonic cried out in surprise.

Shadow looked up, noticing Eggman along with his two robots Orbot and Cubot in the Egg Mobile, hovering over the crater. How long had they been there? He could've sworn he had been the first one to arrive.

"That's right! And as the intrepid explorer that first discovered this regal rock, I hearby call 'dibs'!" Eggman proclaimed.

Shadow rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"What? You can't call 'dibs'." Sonic argued.

Maybe while they were squabbling he could take the meteor. He didn't want it getting into the wrong hands.

"Oh, so now you don't respect 'dibs'? What's next? Are you gonna allow 'cutsies'? Flout the five second rule? Step on a crack without any regard for your mother's spinal column?"

Shadow sighed. Sometimes he wondered if he was the only competent one on this island.

"Not cool, Sonic." Knuckles piped up.

"Of course I respect 'dibs', but you can only call 'dibs' if you are touching the thing you desire to 'dib'." Sonic explained.

"Ohhh! Well, in that case..." Eggman trailed off as he grabbed hold of one of the Egg Mobile's controls and began to lower himself down to the meteor.

Shadow looked over at Sonic, or at least where Sonic had been, as he had now jumped off the edge and was spin dashing downwards. Shadow was suddenly overcome with anxiousness. He was worried about Sonic's safety. This didn't feel right, they shouldn't be tampering with it.

He had to go after them.

He teleported himself down to bottom, a fair distance away from the crater. Sonic and Eggman were both reaching for the meteor. "Sonic, wait, it could be-" Shadow began.

"Dibs!" Eggman and Sonic exclaimed as they both touched the meteor at the same time. A bright purple light erupted from the rock, sending both of them flying back.

"Sonic!" Shadow exclaimed, rushing over to his friend. He knelt beside the blue hedgehog and pressed his ear to his chest. He was met by the soothing sound of Sonic's rithmetic heart beat. Shadow let out a sigh of relief and then proceeded to scope Sonic up in his arms.

"Boss? Boss?" He heard Orbot behind him.

"Wakey-wakey!" Cubot yelled.

He turned to look over at Eggman, who was also lying out cold on the ground. Nevertheless, he seemed fine, and he had his two robots attending to him. If you could even call it that.

"Come on, Cubot, let's take him home." Orbot suggested, and together they took Eggman by one arm each and began to drag him. He was certainly going to feel that in the morning.

Shadow teleported himself and Sonic up to his friends, each of them showing a large amount of concern. "Is he okay?" Amy asked worriedly.

Sonic let out a pained groan. Shadow glanced down at him and then looked at Amy "He'll be fine." He replied. At least, he hoped so. "We should take him home" he suggested.

"Yeah, he needs to rest." Tails agreed. "Then tomorrow I'll take a look at the meteor, try and find out what makes it have that sort of effect."

"Just don't touch it." Shadow warned.

"Don't worry, I won't." Tails replied.

Tails was probably the only one that Shadow had some sort of respect for. He was clever, and very good with machines. Shame he was still quite young and still had a lot to learn.

He simply nodded at the two-tailed fox and began to carry Sonic back home. He decided to keep it nice and slow, to see if Sonic would wake up in the time it took him to get back.

* * *

Shadow arrived back at Sonic's shack after a slow walk through the forest and along the beach. Dawn was breaking on the horizon, with the sun casting a bright orange glow on the inside of the shack. Shadow laid Sonic down in his hammock and gave him a small kiss on his forehead. He stared at him sorrowfully. He couldn't really tell if he was fine or not, and wouldn't be able to until he woke up.

He would stay with him until then.

Shadow patted Sonic's hand gently "I'll be right here, Sonic. You rest easy." He told him softly.

"Everything okay, Shadow?" Amy asked.

Shadow glanced over his shoulder to see Amy standing in the doorway of Sonic's shack. He then looked back at Sonic. "Everything is fine. You go home Amy, I'll stay here until he wakes up." He told her.

"You sure?" She asked. "I could stay if you want."

"I got it. I'll let you know if anything changes." He assured her.

"Okay. See you later." And with those parting words, she left, heading straight for home, though the thought of her still lingered. Amy wasn't really that bad, she was the only one he could level with apart from Sonic. Plus she actually listened to him, unlike the rest. She was still annoying to be around, though, as she was always trying to be light hearted and 'cheer him up', which is easier said than done.

He decided to take his thoughts off Amy and the rest of Sonic's friends and focus on Sonic himself. He adjusted Sonic's hammock slightly, just to make sure that he was comfortable. Once he was satisfied, he moved over to the post in the centre of the room and leaned back against it. He then allowed himself to slide down until he reached a sitting position. He watched Sonic sleep for some time until he eventually fell asleep.

Shadow was awoken from his slumber not long after by the sound of Sonic stirring. He quickly got up and placed his hand on Sonic's hammock, watching as he began to come round. Sonic opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, and fluttered his eyelids.

"It's good to see you awake." Shadow told him.

Sonic sharply turned his head to face him, looking a little stunned. "What are you-" he didn't finish his sentence. He looked around the room in confusion. "What am I-" he didn't finish that sentence either. He glanced down at his hands, and then lifted said hands and touched his own face. His eyes widened in pure horror.

"Sonic, are you feeling okay?" Shadow asked concernedly.

"Uh, yes- I'm fine." He stuttered. He looked nervous. "I am Sonic after all." He chuckled lightly.

Shadow raised an eyebrow. Something seemed odd about him, he just didn't know what. The way he looked at him... It wasn't the way Sonic normally looked at him. It just didn't feel right. Perhaps it was just a side effect of touching the meteor.

"Yes... You are."

Sonic smiled at him. Shadow stared at his face, noticing that his smile looked really off too. It was more of a forced smile, and he could even see pools of sweat forming on Sonic's head. He really was nervous.

"Do you think you could leave me alone for a bit, Shadow, I'd like to get some more rest." Sonic told him.

"Yes, of course, as much as you need." Shadow responded. He gave Sonic's hand another gentle pat, which caused Sonic to give him an odd look.

He simply shrugged off and walked out of the shack, only to be greeted by Knuckles, Amy and Sticks. "How is he?" Amy asked.

"Well, he's awake." Shadow replied. He couldn't exactly say that he was fine. He was anything but fine. He was acting so strangely. Shadow wondered if the others would notice when they saw him.

"That's great!" Amy cried out happily.

"Do you think he'll be up for a video game session later?" Knuckles asked.

"Sonic could have been badly hurt and you're worried about video games?" Shadow retorted angrily.

"Hey, no need to get so mad, dude, I was just asking." Knuckles argued back. Shadow glared at him furiously. Knuckles was probably one of the most annoying out of the group, aside from the paranoid badger. He may have strength, but he was utterly clueless, and had a huge ego to go along with it.

"Settle down you two. Sonic's fine and that's all that matters." Amy butted in, trying her best to keep the peace. "Now, I'm making milkshakes, do you want one, Shadow?" she questioned.

Shadow frowned at her "No." He replied simply.

"Will you go ask Sonic if he wants one, and what flavour he would like? I want it to be special."

Shadow silently walked back to the shack and entered through the doorway, only to discover Sonic wasn't in his hammock, but instead lying on the floor and pressed up against the far wall. "What are you doing?" He questioned.

Sonic got to his feet and brushed himself off "You know me, always got to be running somewhere." He replied with a nervous laugh and scratching the back of his head.

"Straight into a wall." Shadow pointed out.

"Must be because of what happened to me last night." Sonic explained.

"Yeah, maybe." Shadow murmured. He walked up to Sonic and examined him for a brief moment "You need to be more careful. You scared me last night, I thought something terrible might have happened. Please don't scare me like that again."

Sonic took a small step back, as if he was uncomfortable by how close Shadow was. "Uh, yeah, sure." He responded. He didn't sound so sure.

"Anyway, Amy's making milkshakes, do you want one?" He asked him.

"Ooh, milkshakes! I'd love a chocolate one."

"I'll go get you one, then." Shadow replied, walking out of the shack. He paused outside, and quickly ducked out of sight. He peaked back inside, watching as Sonic, who had a devious look on his face, went into a spin dash and began to roll around the room.

What could he possibly be trying to do? This all seemed so out of character for him. Shadow knew he had to get to bottom of whatever was going on and soon.

* * *

Shadow stood at the far side of the shack, leaning against the wall with his arms folded and watching Sonic and Knuckles playing on their video game. Shadow didn't really see the appeal himself, but he wasn't focused on the gameplay, he just wanted to keep an eye on Sonic in order to figure out what could possibly be wrong with him.

Sonic's character managed to wrestle Knuckles' to the ground, thereby winning the match. Sonic threw his controller aside and leapt off his stool in excitement and began to do a victory dance.

"Oh yeah! Score one for Dr. Egg- I mean Sonic."

Shadow narrowed his eyes at him.

"Hey, no need to rub it in, dude." Knuckles replied grumpily.

"Of course. Sonic's a good sport. I don't know what came over me, Nuggets."

"What were you going to say?" Shadow spoke up.

"Huh, oh er, Dr. Eggbeater." He told him. "It's my video game handle." He explained.

Shadow glared at him. "Fair enough."

Sonic gave him another forced smile and then walked off, taking out his notebook and pencil and going through his schedule, whilst muttering to himself. Shadow watched him closely, only to be distracted by a loud crash coming from outside. "What was that?!" Sonic exclaimed aloud, before quickly rushing outside and being swiftly followed by Knuckles.

Shadow didn't have time to think before his legs started working for him and he too was running outside. Eggman was there, probably to launch another attack, only he seemed to have crashed his beloved Eggmoblie into a tree.

"My baby!" Sonic exclaimed, reaching out to the Eggmobile that was now spewing out smoke and had a large dent on it's side. Why would he say that? This was all getting stranger and stranger.

Eggman stood up and brushed off some dust he had gotten on himself, whilst Sticks and the others prepared themselves for a fight.

 **"** Guys, it's me! Sonic!" Eggman claimed.

"Ha! Nice try, Eggman! Wait, no. That was a terrible try." Knuckles responded cluelessly.

Shadow stared at Eggman, watching as he returned his gaze. The look he gave him... It wasn't like Eggman. Shadow walked away from the group to one side of the porch and stepped off onto the beach, making it so that he was somewhat closer to Eggman.

The Doctor turned his attention back to the others "But I'm not Eggman! I'm Sonic!" He insisted.

"Don't listen to him! _I'm_ Sonic! Look at how blue I am! Must be one of his ingenious plans we all admire him for. Ha ha, friends?" Sonic asked.

Amy and Sticks looked at each other, and then burst out into laughter. "'Ingenious plans'! Good one, Sonic!" Amy said through laughter.

Shadow was trying to piece everything together, looking from Sonic, to Eggman, and then back to Sonic, who was taken aback by their laughter "Yeeeah... we're making fun of Eggman because we're secretly jealous of him, right? I mean, the brains, the panache, the mustache... He's the total package, eh?"

Knuckles joined in on the laughter, leaving only Sonic, Eggman and Shadow who weren't laughing. Shadow didn't know what was so remotely funny.

"Hilarious!" Sticks chuckled.

Sonic and Eggman looked at Shadow at relatively the same time, almost as if they were both searching for his support. Support that neither of them were getting.

The Doctor turned his attention back to the group once again "Listen! Eggman and I switched bodies somehow. He's me, and I'm him." Eggman explained. Knuckles continued to laugh, as he still seemed to think that this was all a joke.

Shadow looked over at Sonic to see how he would respond and defend himself, only to watch him take out a cream pie and hit himself in the face with it, the cream covering his left eye. "Ow! Eggman threw a pie at me!" He cried out childishly.

"Huh? No, I didn't!" Eggman responded. He had every right to say that, since he hadn't done anything, Shadow had seen it with his own two eyes. Why was Sonic doing this...? Unless... He glanced over at Eggman. Unless that wasn't Sonic.

"Let's send this miscreant packing!" Sonic ordered.

Eggman ducked to avoid Stick's boomerang, and almost ended up tripping over his own feet as rushed over to Shadow. He grabbed both of his arms and squeezed them tightly "Shadow, please, you have to believe me, I'm not Eggman." He pleaded. Shadow gazed up at him silently. He wasn't really sure what to think anymore. "I know you know, I can see it in your eyes, please just say something, help me, please!" He begged, shaking Shadow violently. He was so desperate, so distraught, it was so... Unlike him.

He glanced over at the others and then back at Eggman before finally speaking up "You better start running." he told him simply.

Eggman looked utterly crushed by Shadow's response, but quickly regained his composure. He turned to run away and retreat, but then gave Shadow one last heartfelt look before he made his escape. Knuckles ran passed Shadow, going after Eggman, who was currently running as fast as he possibly could.

Shadow turned his attention away to look at Eggman's robots, only to see Cubot fire up the damaged Eggmobile as Orbot jumped in. They then flew after Eggman, who was trying to get Knuckles to listen to him. "No, I'm Sonic! You have to believe me!" He cried.

His pleas were falling on deaf ears.

The Eggmobile Electromagnet picked Eggman up, and carried him away, causing Knuckles' attempted diving tackle to miss. The Eggmobile along with Eggman flew off into the distance.

Shadow felt someone put an arm around his shoulder "Pathetic, isn't it?" He heard Sonic ask.

Shadow shrugged him off and moved away from him "You'd never say something like that." He replied, shaking his head "It's not like you." He added, turning his head away. He didn't want to look at him anymore. It sounded like something he himself would say.

"Oh come on, Shadow, I was just kidding."

He felt so conflicted. Why would Eggman go to such lengths to say that he was Sonic? What could he possibly be planning? "Why was he trying to convince us that he was you?" He questioned aloud.

"It's probably some elaborate scheme of his, who knows what goes in his genius mind." Sonic responded. Why was he always complimenting him?

"I wouldn't call them elaborate... More idiotic." Shadow commented. Sonic looked cross, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, Shadow could see it written all over his face. He must have touched a nerve. "It still doesn't add up..." He trailed off, lost in thought.

"Just give it a rest, Shadow, let's just have a drink with the gang and celebrate our victory." Sonic suggested, gesturing over at the others, who had now settled down on the sun loungers outside of the shack.

Shadow narrowed his eyes "No, I won't 'just give it a rest', I can't just ignore the fact that you-" he jabbed his finger at Sonic "Have been acting strangely ever since last night."

"What is your problem?" Sonic asked, his tone sounded agitated.

"My problem? I think you should be asking yourself that." He retorted. Both of their tempers were rising.

"You know what, if you have such a big problem with me, then maybe you should just go! We don't even need you here anymore!" Sonic shouted, finally reaching boiling point.

Shadow's heart sank. There was a pit in his stomach, and Sonic's words were like a punch to the gut. They hurt him in so many ways. He couldn't believe he would say that, he was the only thing that mattered to him, he had been the one to constantly invite him into Team Sonic, or get him to join in on their fun. And now... He was turning his back on him. The only friend Shadow had.

His sadness changed into anger and bitterness. He tried not to show his emotions, and instead opted to glare at Sonic with a look of death in his eyes. "Fine." He replied coldly, his tone dry and lacking any sort of feeling. He leaned forwards, noticing that Sonic appeared to be fearful by his sudden turn.

"Have fun with your friends, _Sonic_ " he spat his name, before allowing himself to enveloped by a bright blue light.

* * *

Shadow reappeared outside of Eggman's base. Burning with pumped up energy, he turned to the nearest rock and punched it in an act of frustration, while pieces of rock split off and flew in different directions upon impact. Breathing heavily, he lowered his hand, and looked at the dent that he had left.

He turned his attention back to Eggman's base, and charged head long at the door. He wanted answers, and he was going to get them. One way or the other. He smashed through the steal door and went charging down the corridor. He had been expecting at least some security robots but to come out and put up a fight, but so far, everything was deathly quiet, apart from the clanging his shoes were making on the floor as he ran.

He turned the next corner and kicked down the door that stood in his way. As soon as he entered the room, he caught sight of Eggman, along with his two somewhat loyal robots, Orbot and Cubot.

"Shadow?!" Eggman exclaimed, quickly rising from his chair. "What are you doing here?" He questioned.

Shadow walked up to him "You claim to be Sonic, so I came to find out if it was true." He stated. "You two have been acting strangely ever since you touched that meteor." He was starting to believe it. He had been sceptical at first, but with how they had both been acting, it was the only thing that made sense, no matter how crazy it sounded.

Eggman's shoulders sagged "Yes, it is. I'm so glad that one of you are listening to me."

"If you really are Sonic, tell me something only he would know." Shadow challenged him. He still had to be cautious, he couldn't just take his word for it.

"Well, you talk in your sleep a lot, in fact there was this one time where you mumbled something like 'would you like more tea with that'." Eggman responded.

Shadow heard Orbot and Cubot laughing, and shot them a quick glare, causing them to go silent. "And you don't like to hang out with the gang... You always turn me down... But that's okay, because that's just how you are, and I understand that-"

"Stop." Shadow cut him off. It was sure sounded believable, and he was satisfied by his answer, but Eggman did tend to spy on them, so it was unclear what information he could've picked up along the way. Though he didn't know about his and Sonic's relationship. There was still one thing he wanted to do, just to make sure.

"Take off your glasses," he ordered "I want to see your eyes."

Eggman did not hesitate. He lifted his hand and removed his glasses, allowing Shadow to get a clear view of his eyes. The way he looked at him... It was the same way Sonic always looked at him. That's when Shadow knew it had to be true.

"I believe you." Shadow told him.

Sonic let out a sign of relief and put Eggman's glasses back on "Thank you, Shadow. I knew you would." He then smiled. It looked odd coming from Eggman, but it was a natural smile, unlike the forced ones the fake Sonic had been giving him all day.

Shadow shook his head and grimaced "You even sound like him." He commented.

"I know, it's terrible." Sonic responded.

"I'm sorry I took so long. It was just difficult to trust you." Shadow apologised.

"It's alright. I don't blame you."

"What's it like? Being Eggman, I mean?" Shadow questioned, examining Eggman's body.

"I feel really, really heavy. Like all my speed has been turned into mass." he explained, touching 'his' stomach. "What about Eggman, how's he finding it?"

"Well, it seems that he enjoys having your body at his disposal. Though he is rather clueless as to how you act, but your team seem to have fallen for it."

"That's why I knew I could rely on you." Sonic replied, placing 'his' hands on Shadow's shoulders.

"Don't touch me."

"Right, sorry." He apologised, removing his hands. "I forgot."

"It's just weird, that's all." Shadow explained, not wanting to hurt Sonic's feelings.

"I know." Sonic responded. "So what do we do now?" He asked, changing the subject back to the task at hand.

"We have to get you two to switch back. It has to have something to do with that meteor, so maybe if you both touched it at the same time again you'd be able to reverse it." Shadow suggested.

"But how will we get Eggman to touch the meteor?" Sonic questioned.

"I'll worry about that. I need you to use Eggman's robots to launch an attack, so when the others are distracted, I'll deal with Eggman. I'm going to contact Tails and tell him what's going on, so that he can bring the meteor to us."

"Sounds like a plan." Sonic agreed, clamping 'his' fists together.

Shadow nodded confidently "Then let's do this."

* * *

Shadow watched Eggman and Team Sonic relaxing from afar. He was hidden amongst the shade of trees a fair distance away and was keeping a close eye on them. He had managed to swipe Sonic's communicator since Eggman hadn't been wearing it, and was keeping tabs on where Sonic and Tails were with it.

The communicator made an alert sound, so Shadow glanced down at his wrist and answered the call. "Shadow speaking" he announced.

"Hey Shadow, it's me, Tails. I'm just getting the meteor all backed up so I'll be there as soon as I'm done." Tails told him.

"Alright. Thanks for keeping me posted." Shadow responded.

"See you soon." The young fox said, before ending the call.

Shadow quickly contacted Sonic and waited for him to pick up. "Everything's ready on my end, what about you?" He asked, once he heard Sonic answer.

"We'll be there any second." Sonic replied.

"I'm good to go when you are."

Sonic abruptly ended the call, and at around the same time the ground started to shake violently. Shadow turned his attention away from Team Sonic and watched as Mega appeared over the horizon, knocking down trees that stood in his way and leaving a path of destruction behind him. Sonic flew in on the Eggmoblie, followed by Orbot, Cubot, and an army of robots.

It was time.

Shadow clenched his fists and waited for the battle to ensue. There seemed to be some sort of delay on Sonic's end. Perhaps he wasn't completely in control of Eggman's robots, but Shadow couldn't hear what they were saying from where he was.

Whatever issue there was had been solved and the robots began to charge at Team Sonic, but the group immediately began to fight back, destroying as many as robots as possible. That was to be expected. Nevertheless, they were distracted, leaving Eggman out in the open.

Shadow teleported himself directly behind him. "Hello _Eggman_ " he whispered in his ear.

Eggman whirled around in surprise, only to have Shadow grab him by 'his' neckerchief and throw him halfway across the beach. "This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you." Shadow told him. "Though it will hurt. A lot." He then added.

Shadow charged towards him, slamming his fist into 'his' chest and then landing another punch directly to 'his' face and knocking him to the ground.

"Come on, don't make this too easy for me." Shadow growled "Fight back."

Eggman got to 'his' feet and charged at Shadow, throwing a punch at him. Shadow caught 'his' fist and swung his own at Eggman's face, knocking him to the ground once again "You may have mastered some of Sonic's speed, but you don't know how to fight. You're always so busy sitting on the sidelines." He tormented him.

Eggman staggered to 'his' feet once again. "For someone who cares about Sonic, you sure are doing his body a lot of damage." Eggman commented.

Shadow grabbed Eggman by 'his' neckerchief and lifted him off the ground "Don't worry, you'll get the same treatment once you switch back." He said, slamming him into the ground, and holding him there by 'his' throat.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" Eggman asked, though he was struggling to talk from the pressure on 'his' throat. "I thought you and Sonic hated each other."

Shadow couldn't help but smirk. "You'll piece it together eventually."

"Shadow, what are you doing?!" Amy cried out, running towards him with her hammer in hand.

Shadow glanced over at her with gritted teeth "Amy, stop!" He exclaimed, holding out his hand towards her before she could get in swinging range. She looked to have calmed down and was even willing to listen to what he had to say. "Amy, you're just going to have to trust me on this one." He told her "Eggman was telling the truth, he is Sonic! And Sonic is Eggman." He explained. "Look, I know I don't give you much of a reason to believe me with the way I treat you and the others, but I'm just looking out for Sonic, the same as you. I wouldn't hurt him unless I had to."

Amy slowly lowered her hammer "I-" she began.

She was cut off as Tails arrived on the Tailsmobile, with a trailer attached to the back loaded with the meteor. "I have it, I have the meteor!" He exclaimed, leaping off his vehicle and running over to them.

Shadow released Eggman but made sure to keep his eyes on him. Meanwhile, Sonic flew down on the Eggmobile and got off, joining the others. "Listen, everyone," Shadow addressed them "Eggman and Sonic did switch bodies, and the only way to switch them back is for them to touch it again." He explained.

"It's true," Tails backed him up "After studying the meteor, it's energy capabilities do prove what Shadow and Egg- Sonic are claiming."

"What makes you think I want to switch back?" Eggman questioned "I'm not touching that stupid purple rock."

"No ones asking you." Shadow snarled at him "So just do it." He ordered, shoving him towards the meteor. Sonic sniggered as he walked over to the meteor.

They were just about to touch it when Shadow spoke up "Oh, and Eggman." He addressed him. Eggman turned 'his' head to look at him. "You did a terrible job as Sonic."

Eggman scowled, before touching the meteor. A bright purple light erupted from the meteor just like the night before, sending both Eggman and Sonic flying backwards. Shadow quickly rushed forwards and caught Sonic in his arms. At least, he hoped it was the real Sonic.

'Sonic' opened his eyes and stared up at Shadow. He then looked down at his hands and used them to touch his face. "I- I'm back." He stuttered in disbelief "We did it!" He exclaimed, a huge smile on his face.

It was the real one.

Sonic jumped up, only to immediately regret it "Ouch!" He yelped, clutching his chest. "I feel like I've taken one too many punches."

"That's because you did. I gave Eggman quite a beating." Shadow explained. "Speaking of which..." He looked behind him, only to discover that Eggman, along with Orbot and Cubot had gone, with only a beach covered in broken robots left behind. "He got away." He growled angrily, clenching his fist.

"Leave him. It doesn't matter." Sonic said, patting Shadow's shoulder.

Shadow smiled at him "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." Sonic responded. "Anyway, I'm going to go for a quick run, I've been itching to do one all day." He stated "Hope you don't mind."

"Go ahead. You deserve it." Shadow told him.

"Alright. Catch you all later!" And with those parting words, he ran off towards the woods.

Shadow walked over to the meteor and examined it for a brief moment. "Shadow." Amy addressed him.

"What is it?" He asked, not bothering to look at her or the others.

"I- we just wanted to say thanks for helping us today. We might not have been able to switch Sonic and Eggman back without you."

"It was nothing." He replied simply.

"It was nice to spend the day with you. Maybe we could do it again sometime." She suggested "Not the crazy body swapping thing, but something more... Normal."

"Maybe." He muttered.

He picked up the meteor. "I'm going to take this somewhere safe, so nothing like this will happen again." He announced.

Just as he was about to leave, Amy spoke up one more time. "I was going to say that I trust you earlier." She informed him "We all trust you, no matter how you act around us. And we'd be more than happy to spend time with you."

Shadow turned to look at them. They were smiling at him. Something he hadn't expected from the people he had treated so badly since day one. It made him feel... Awful.

"You're a pretty cool guy." Knuckles spoke up.

"And smart." Tails chimed.

"You might not even be a government agent." Sticks spoke up.

Shadow adjusted his grip on the space rock "I um... Thank you. All of you." He replied gratefully. He paused for a moment before speaking again "I better go."

"Bye Shadow. We hope to see you again soon."

"Yeah..." He trailed off. He bit his lip "Goodbye."

* * *

He was back where he started, sitting on the ridge with his legs dangling over the edge and looking up at the starry sky. No more meteors... Thank goodness. He wasn't sure if he could handle another fiasco with some other magical space rock.

It had been quite a day. He planned on staying on the ridge for a while, where it was peaceful. Perhaps he would rest his eyes and soak in the cold night air. He proceeded to close his eyelids and rolled his head back.

"Hey Shadow." Sonic greeted.

Shadow opened his eyes and watched as Sonic came and sat next to him. "Beautiful night, huh?" He commented.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with you friends?" Shadow questioned.

"I want to talk to you, that's all." Sonic told him "I mean, I could've gone to a chick flick with Amy, but this was more important."

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, first I just want to say thanks for your help today. I don't think I could've done it without you."

Shadow shook his head "You didn't need me. You would've figured it out, one way or another."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. You really are a big help. Which leads me onto what I came up here to say..." He trailed off for a moment "Me and the gang have been talking and we'd really like you to join our team. I know I've asked you this before, but this time it's different. Before, it was just me asking you, the team didn't really want you to join after the way you used to treat them, but they didn't show it. But now, they want you to join as much as I do. You don't have to be around us 24/7, you can go off and do your own thing whenever you want. We just want you to fight along side us. They want to get to know you better, and maybe one day, you could be their friends too. And if you don't like it, then you can leave at anytime, I won't stop you, please, just give it a chance." Sonic finished.

Shadow was silent, while Sonic made a move to get up. "I'll leave you alone to think about it."

"I already know my answer." Shadow responded.

"Really?" Sonic asked, sitting back down. He sounded surprised.

"I'd like to join your team." Shadow stated. "Your friends aren't as bad as they thought they were. They care about you, just as much as I do. They aren't perfect, but then again, neither am I. I'd like to get to know them better." He explained. "Plus someone has to keep an eye on you" he added, nudging Sonic teasingly.

Sonic smiled "Well in that case..." He placed his hand on Shadow's "Welcome to Team Sonic."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm not that edgy**

 **I spent 3 straight days writing this one and gave it my all after the last one. I know people thought the last one was 'good' but at the same time I feel like I let you all down. That I let myself down. But at the same time, I don't have a desire to change it. I'm just going to leave it as is.**

 **Next chapter is also in the Sonic Boom universe. It's going to go back to just being Shadow and Sonic, like the first couple. Trying to write in the rest of the cast is a pain. But they'll probably be back in the future at some extent.**

 **And no, I'm not writing a short about them having a baby. You know who you are. But if it starts to become a really popular request, then maybe, just maybe, I'll do it. Don't you dare start flooding my reviews with the same request now that I've said that. Please don't. As for the '** **injured Sonic being nursed back to health by Shadow' I'll make sure to read the other story in order to steer away from their idea and write my own. And if it's impossible for me to do that, then I'll just scrap that idea.**

 **Valentines Day is coming up, and you know what that means... (it means they'll be another special like the Christmas one, ssh, don't tell anyone).**

 **I'm in a better mood than I was when writing the last chapter if you couldn't quite tell. There are still some things that are bothering me, but I'm okay. I should be okay. I'm not going to let life's many problems stop me from doing what I love. Writing stories and showing them to you lovely folks.**

 **I'm going to go take a break after spending all of my free time writing on this. But I'll be back very soon!**

 **Thanks for the support for the last one btw. I don't feel like I deserved it but thank you. Really. You made me feel a lot better.**


	19. Chapter 19

Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic were on a hunt for the Chaos Emeralds in order to go up against and defeat the monster that was tearing through time.

"Where could that fourth chaos emerald be?" Sonic questioned as he glanced around the white, empty landscape.

Classic Sonic gently tugged at Sonic's glove to get his attention. Sonic looked down at his past self and watched as he lifted his hand and pointed slightly upwards. Sonic followed his finger and noticed a chaos emerald floating on a platform approve the City Escape area. However, he was more drawn to the person standing next to it.

It was Shadow.

Classic Sonic turned his attention off the chaos emerald and also looked at Shadow. His mouth gapped open as he stared in wonder. "Come on, let's go get it." Sonic declared, racing off towards the platform. He stopped when he noticed that Classic Sonic was no longer with him. He glanced back and saw that the young hedgehog was still standing there, staring at Shadow.

Sonic walked back to him and waved his hand in front of Classic Sonic's face, helping to snap him back to reality. "Come on, we have to hurry." Sonic insisted. Classic Sonic nodded firmly and followed after Sonic this time round as they rushed over to the chaos emerald.

"Hey Shadow." Sonic greeted once they reached the black and red hedgehog.

Shadow turned towards him and unfolded his arms "Sonic, it's good to see you. You're the first person I've seen ever since I got here." He responded.

"Good to see you too." Sonic replied, walking up to his friend and patting him on the arm.

Shadow lifted his other hand and so did Sonic, and then the two put their hands together, allowing their fingers to intertwine. Classic Sonic watched them closely with a strong sense of curiosity.

Sonic let go of Shadow's hand and took a step back, rejoining his other companion "So how did you end up here?" He asked.

Shadow sighed "A creature came out of nowhere and grabbed me. I passed out, and when I woke up, I was here, with nothing but this chaos emerald." He said, nodding at the colourless gem that was floating above them "However, it doesn't seem to be physically here. Wherever here is."

"We'll have to restore it somehow." Sonic commented. "We need it to defeat that creature that brought us all here."

Shadow glanced over at Classic Sonic, who he hadn't even noticed due to his silence. "Who's this?" He asked, nodding at Classic Sonic.

"Oh, this is a past version of me. He hasn't even met you yet, or most of my friends." Sonic explained. "Sonic, meet Shadow, he's rather... special to me." He said, introducing his younger self to his partner.

"That's an understatement." Shadow commented.

Sonic blushed. He looked down at Classic Sonic once again only to notice that he hadn't been paying attention the entire time. He was simply standing there, staring at Shadow dreamily with half closed eyelids. Sonic quickly nudged him, snapping him out of his trance a second time. Classic Sonic blinked a couple of times and then shook his head.

He looked at Shadow and then down at the ground, whilst scratching his head timidly. After a brief moment of awkward silence, he plucked up the courage to look Shadow dead in the eye... And wave at him.

Shadow raised an eyebrow "Not much of a talker?" He questioned, turning to Modern Sonic for answers.

"No. He's a hedgehog of few words." Sonic replied.

"I can relate." Shadow gave Classic Sonic a small smile, whilst the young hedgehog avoided making eye contact, most likely due to embarrassment. "So how do we restore it?" He asked, turning his attention back to the chaos emerald.

"Well, Sonic here was able to restore another chaos emerald by defeating Metal Sonic, so I guess the only way to bring this one back would be..." He trailed off, looking at Shadow.

"For us to fight." Shadow finished for him.

"We don't really have any other option."

"Let's do it." Shadow insisted.

"Okay, if you're sure." Sonic replied.

Shadow clenched his fist "Definitely."

Sonic looked at his younger self "You stay here little buddy, I'll be back soon." He told him, and then approached Shadow.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you just because I like you." The black and red hedgehog teased.

"Come on, Shadow, not in front of the kid."

Shadow smirked, and Sonic couldn't help but return it with his own smirk. Their smiles faded as they remembered the task at hand. They briefly nodded at one another before jumping up in unison and touching the emerald at the same time. A bright flash of light erupted from the emerald, blinding Classic Sonic. When the light cleared and his eyes were able to adjust, he realises that Sonic and Shadow were gone, leaving him alone.

He stood there for a moment, waiting for them to return. When some time passed, despite the fact that there wasn't really any time in this limbo-like place, he decided to walk over to the edge of the platform and sat down, allowing his legs to dangle over the edge and swing them gently.

He looked down at his hands and began flexing his fingers. He then lifted them up. He slowly moved his hands together, until they made contact, and he allowed his fingers to interlock, in the same way that Sonic's and Shadow's hands had done earlier.

He'd never seen something fit so perfectly together before.

* * *

A bright flash caught Classic Sonic's attention. He quickly stood up and turned around to discover that Sonic and Shadow had returned. They were currently in a strong embrace, with Shadow's arms wrapped around Sonic's head, and Sonic's arms wrapped around Shadow's waist. They had their eyes closed and their heads pressed up against each other.

Classic Sonic stared, fascinated by their connection. He watched as Sonic opened his eyes and nuzzled Shadow's nose with his own. They then finished their embrace and took a step back from one another.

"That fight was just like old times." Shadow commented.

"Yeah, especially the part where you lost." Sonic replied teasingly.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at him, whilst Sonic grinned cheekily. The two then looked up at the chaos emerald, that had now regained it's yellow colour, and floated down to them. Shadow grabbed the emerald before Sonic could take it. He clutched it in his hand and then tossed it at his partner. "You show that creature what your made of."

Sonic caught the emerald "I will." he replied strongly. "We will." He corrected himself after remembering Classic Sonic's presence.

"I'll make sure that I'm there for the final fight. If you need anything, then just know, I've got your back." Shadow informed him.

"Always."

"Good luck to you too." Shadow addressed Classic Sonic. The young hedgehog seemed flattered by the fact that Shadow acknowledged him.

"See you soon, Shadow." Sonic said his goodbyes.

"Not if I see you first."

And with those parting words, the two Sonic's left in search of the other three emeralds. As they were walking, Sonic couldn't help but feel curious about what was going on inside Classic Sonic's head. He had been acting odd ever since they had ran into Shadow, and he had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

"Sonic..." He addressed his companion.

His younger self turned towards him. "I was wondering if you had any sort of feelings for Shadow... Feelings that you might not have felt before."

Classic Sonic gazed down at the ground and nodded slowly in response. "Huh. That's weird, I didn't fall for Shadow like that. Then again, I don't remember any of this. I guess we're just rewriting a part of my own history at this point."

Classic Sonic's sagged as he sighed deeply. Sonic noticed this and decided to put a comforting arm around him "Hey, after this is all over, how about I help you with your crush, maybe get him to notice you a little more. Would you like that?"

A spark of hope gleamed in Classic Sonic's eyes. He nodded furiously without much thought.

Sonic smiled "I knew you would. We should prepare you now before you end up in my shoes... Or our shoes, I don't know which one."

Classic Sonic's face beamed with happiness and smiled from ear to ear. Perhaps he could experience what it was like to be in a relationship like Sonic and Shadow's after all.

* * *

After defeating the Time Eater, Sonic and his friends were returned to the party, where everything was exactly how they had left it, almost as if they had never been gone. Surprisingly enough, Classic Sonic and Tails were also teleported there.

Classic Tails and Modern Tails were talking, since Classic Tails wanted to learn as much as possible from his older self. The rest of Sonic's friends were talking amongst themselves, whilst Classic Sonic walked around the area, taking in the sweet country air, until he eventually came across a patch of flowers with colourful petals. It was a nice change from the White space they had once resided in.

Classic Sonic examined the flowers, wondering which one he should pick. He eventually decided that he would take one orange coloured flower, and proceeded to kneel down and pluck it from the soil. He stood up, clutching the stalk tightly in his grasp, and rushed over to Sonic, who had been leaning against the tree the majority of the time.

The young hedgehog lifted the flower up to him, impressed by his own find. Sonic smiled and gave him a thumbs up "That's great. Shadow isn't really the type of person who likes flowers, but I'm sure he'll love this."

Classic Sonic cocked his head in confusion.

"Because it's coming from you." Sonic explained, touching Classic Sonic's chest, which was the area where his heart was. "Now go on, go give it to him." He instructed.

Classic Sonic pulled the flower close to his chest and glanced over at Shadow, who was currently talking with Rouge. He then looked up at Sonic nervously. "Go on." Sonic insisted "I'll be right behind you."

Classic Sonic clenched the flower tighter. He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He could do this. He knew he could. He took a couple of steps forwards, and then glanced back at Sonic, just to make sure that he was there. He was behind him, and urged him to go over with a small hand gesture.

The young hedgehog sighed and approached Shadow. He lifted his hand, and hesitated for a brief moment. He held his breath and tapped him on the back. Shadow paused his discussion with Rouge and turned around, not noticing Classic Sonic at first due to him being shorter than him, but he quickly realised and looked down at him.

Classic Sonic didn't even look him in the eye, instead he held the flower up to him, blushing all the while. Shadow was bewildered, quickly looking over at Modern Sonic, who was just smiling proudly, as if the younger version of himself was his son. He then looked at Shadow and grinned.

Seeing Sonic's face allowed Shadow to catch on, so he turned his attention back to Classic Sonic, and knelt down in order to become level with him. He paused for a moment, watching his movement, before lifting his hand and holding it out to the young hedgehog.

Classic Sonic lifted his head and looked at Shadow's hand, and then gazed at Shadow himself. The black and red hedgehog simply nodded at him. Classic Sonic lifted his hand and put it in Shadow's larger hand. Their fingers intertwined, the same way that Modern Sonic and Shadow had done so before.

Shadow gave him a small smile and released his hand. Using his new found confidence, Classic Sonic lifted up the flower and slid it in between Shadow's quills. The flower hung loosely, but managed to stay in place, even when Shadow rose to his full height.

"Thanks for the gift." He said gratefully. "You're um..." He paused, trying to find the right word. "Well, you're really sweet, and I don't use that word very often."

Classic Sonic blushed and scratched the side of his head bashfully.

"Hey, Sonic, our ride is here." Classic Tails cried out, pointing at a portal that lead to the time they were originally from. Classic Sonic briefly looked up at Shadow before rushing over to his friend.

"It's a shame you have to go." Modern Tails commented.

"But we sure had a great adventure. We hope you've learned a few tricks that will help you out in the future- I mean the past- well, you know what I mean."

Shadow drew closer to them. "Especially when it come to romance." Sonic added cheekily.

Classic Sonic nodded firmly.

"Well, we really enjoyed meeting you, but we have to go now. Thanks for everything, we sure learned a lot." Classic Tails said.

"And thank you. We couldn't have done it without you." Sonic responded.

Classic Tails and Modern Tails had a double high five, while Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic only had a single. The two then rushed off towards the portal, and Sonic called after them "Hey Sonic, enjoy your future, it's going to be great!" He exclaimed, giving him a thumbs up. Classic Tails entered the portal first, but Classic Sonic paused for a moment, and looked back at Sonic and Shadow.

He rushed over to them, quickly hugging Modern Sonic tightly, and he embraced him. Classic Sonic then released him and moved onto Shadow, and beckoned him to lean down. Once he did so, he gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Classic Sonic blushed but ran back to the portal before another word could be said. He paused once again, and looked back at the two. Shadow smiled at him and waved goodbye. Classic Sonic waved farewell before jumping into the portal, and leaving them all behind.

Sonic and Shadow looked at one another and linked hands. Sonic then lifted his free hand and adjusted the flower so that it would fit neatly between Shadow's quills, before leaning in and kissing him passionately on the lips. He pulled his head away and smiled "That was just a little gift from the past."

* * *

 **A/N: I know I said this one was going to be Sonic Boom related, but this idea came up and I just had to write it straight away.**

 **I might be able to write the Sonic Boom one before the Valentine's Day one comes around, we'll just have to see. If not it'll come straight after. And the Valentine's Day is in the Sonic Boom Universe anyway.**

 **I noticed that wasn't much said about the last chapter. Was it too long? Or was there just not a lot to say? I'm just wondering. I would've really liked to know what people thought or if there were any improvements, but it doesn't matter. Sorry, I probably sound patronising, I just have a hard time believing that my own work is good some times and then I worry. Sorry.**

 **Also I did a short with Classic Sonic, as you can see, just like how one of you requested. It was...** **Liam-Chaos-TangyErmine3. This one was built on your request, buddy! Thanks for giving me the idea!**

 **So, if I don't get the Sonic Boom one out before the 14th, then I guess I'll see you on Valentine's Day. Y'know, since I won't have a date, haha... Dinner for one, haha... Secretly I'm crying inside.**

 **...**

 **But not really, though.**

 **Jokes aside, I'll see you all either whenever or on Valentine's Day. Have a good one.**


	20. Chapter 20 - Valentine's Day Special

**A/N: Hey everyone. It's like midnight where I am, so I thought 'Hey, I'm up, I'm tired, I have a finished, edited, chapter, that probably has some errors I didn't notice during proof reading and will annoy me later, how about I just post it?' So here I am, it's techinically Valentine's Day as of now, so let's do this.**

 **This one takes place sometime after chapter 18, on Valentine's Day, obviously. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Sonic was pacing up and down his shack, when he noticed that his friends had arrived. "Thanks for coming, gang." He said gratefully as all three of them entered. Tails, Knuckles and Sticks walked over to the table on the other side of the room and sat down, while Sonic continued to pace. "Where's Amy?" He asked.

Tails shrugged "No idea." He responded.

"She said she'd be here..." Sonic muttered "Oh well, we'll just have to start without her." He paused from pacing and stopped in the centre of the room "We have a day to figure out exactly what I'm going to get Shadow for Valentine's Day."

"Wait, why are we helping you with your date, again?" Knuckles asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Because you don't have a date. Plus I'm having trouble on my own, so I need your help." Sonic explained.

"I have a date." Tails spoke up.

"Oh, that's right." Sonic turned towards the two-tailed fox "It's with Zooey, isn't it?"

Tails nodded in conformation "Yeah."

"What are you doing for Zooey?" He asked. Perhaps he could use whatever Tails was planning to his own advantage. He never thought he'd be learning from his younger brother figure.

"I'm taking her for a meal at Meh Burger. Then I'm going to take her for a ride in my plane. And at the end of the day, we're going to the village dance." He told him.

"Huh. Maybe I could take Shadow to the dance. But I can't take him to Meh Burger, he hates that place. And I don't have a plane."

Tails chuckled "Well, why don't you cook him a meal instead?" He suggested.

"Good idea, Tails." Sonic replied enthusiastically. He then glanced around the shack and frowned "I don't have a kitchen."

"You could use my kitchen." Tails offered "I won't be at home tomorrow since I'll be busy with Zooey."

"Thanks Tails, that makes my job a lot easier."

"Why does one day turn people into lovesick zombies? Am I going to turn into one too? I can't let that happen! I have to get back to my burrow and find my tin foil hats before it's too late!" Sticks exclaimed.

Sonic stared at her blankly. "Uhhh, yeah, sure, go ahead." He said, gesturing at the doorway with his thumb.

Sticks leapt out of her chair and rushed outside, screaming all the while, and leaving only Tails and Knuckles at the table. "So, I'll make him a romantic meal and then take him to the village dance." Sonic recapped "But what should I get him as a gift?" He questioned.

"Can't you just get him something from the village?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't want to get him some cheap heart shaped chocolate box or flowers, I want to get him something special." Sonic explained.

"It doesn't have to be Valentine's Day themed, you could get him something that he might like or make him something." Tails spoke up.

"A homemade present would be the prefect thing to give to Shadow." Sonic responded. "Will you guys help me make it?"

"Sure. I can draw up plans, and Knuckles-" Tails paused, trying to think of a job Knuckles could do. "-Knuckles is pretty good at craftsmanship, so if you want to make something out of wood, he could chip in too."

"Great! I'll start coming up with some ideas for Shadow's present, but first, I'm going to call Amy, see where she is, since we could really use her help." Sonic stated, before leaving the shack to contact Amy on his watch-communicator.

Amy answered only mere moments later "Hi, Sonic." She greeted.

"Hey, Amy. Are you on your way over here? I need your help with Shadow's present."

"Sorry, Sonic, I'm a little busy." She replied "I don't think I'll be able to make it."

"That's okay. Maybe you could come over later."

There was the sound of a door opening and closing on Amy's end before a voice called out "Have we got everything we need, Amy?"

Sonic furrowed his brow "Is that Shadow?" He questioned. "What's he doing there?"

"He's um..." Amy paused for a few seconds. "...Helping me with some ancient artefacts that I found."

"Oh, okay." He didn't really by that accuse but he'd go along with it. "Do you think I could talk to him?"

"Sure. I'll put him on." She replied. There was a moment of silence as Amy presumably handed over her communicator to Shadow. "It's Sonic." She muttered quietly.

"Hello Sonic." Shadow greeted in his usual tone.

"Do you know what tomorrow is?" Sonic asked

"...Sunday?" Shadow responded.

"No..." Sonic replied "A special day." He told him "A special day for couples." He then hinted.

There was a moment of radio silence. "You've lost me."

"It's Valentine's Day!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Oh, that." Shadow responded glumly. "I don't really see the appeal. Why dedicate one day to show affection towards your partner when you should do it on a daily basis? It's more or less a way for the government to make money off of lovesick individuals."

"You started to sound like Sticks for a minute there." He commented.

"It's just what I think."

"Well, I have some stuff planned for tomorrow. Would you care to join me?" Sonic asked.

Shadow chuckled lightly "Despite the fact that I disagree with the whole thing... I'd be more than happy to join you on a date, Sonic."

"Great!" Sonic exclaimed with joy "You won't regret it."

"So when do you want to meet up tomorrow?" He asked.

"Come over to my shack at around 5 o'clock." Sonic replied "I'll be waiting."

"See you then." Shadow said his farewells and turned off Amy's communicator. Sonic proceeded to turn off his own and lowered his arm. He then walked back into the shack and rejoined Tails and Knuckles.

"Alright, gang, let's get to work!"

* * *

Sonic was tired. He had been preparing for his and Shadow's date all of yesterday and late into the night. But there was no rest for him, not yet anyway.

He went to Tails' house several hours before Shadow was due to arrive, in order to get everything prepared. He had a bag of fresh food with him, which he would make a meal out of. Tails was still home when he got there, though he was getting ready for his date with Zooey.

"Thanks again for this, Tails." He said gratefully as he began to set up.

"No problem." Tails replied. "What are you cooking?" He then asked, looking over Sonic's shoulder.

"Grilled pheasant. Got the idea off Amy."

"Well... Good luck with that. Just don't let Knuckles near it, unless you want to entertain Shadow with a puppet show."

Sonic chuckled "Believe me, I don't."

The front door opened and Zooey entered the house. She was adoring the same type of dress, red and woven with sequins, and her hair was tied up in a bun, whilst clutching a purse. "Hey Tails." She greeted with a smile. Tails was stunned into silence by the way she was dressed. Zooey then looked over at Sonic "Oh, hey Sonic. What are you doing here?" She asked.

Sonic opened his mouth but Tails interrupted "He's making a romantic meal for his date, since he doesn't have his own kitchen." He explained for him.

"Oh, well I hope it goes okay." She addressed Sonic.

"Thanks Zooey. I hope your date goes well too."

She gave him her usual, bright smile in response. Sonic patted Tails on the back, though it was more of a slap, and winded him slightly. "Go get her, tiger." He whispered. Tails' cheeks glowed bright red as he approached Zooey.

"You... Uh... You look great." He complimented her, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"Thanks. You look nice too."

Tails offered her his arm "Shall we be going?" He asked. Zooey nodded and proceeded to link arms with him. "See you later, Sonic."

"Have fun you two."

Tails smiled at him as he and Zooey left. Sonic clutched his chest and whipped a single tear from his eye. At that very moment he felt like a proud father, which was kind of odd when he really thought about it. He decided the best thing to do was just get back to preparing his and Shadow's meal.

During the preparation, he went outside to set up the table, as he thought it would be better to eat outside and have a spectacular view of the sunset, for the sake of romance. He covered the table with a white cloth and placed a vase full of flowers in the centre. He then added the trivial things, such as knives, forks and napkins. To finish it off, he placed some scented candles on the table, though he doubted he'd lite them. But what the heck, they made it look more romantic.

After the table was set and the pheasant was cooking, Sonic had Tails' house all to himself. It was a nice change of pace from his shack, plus he had cable. In order to pass the time, he watched the Comedy Chimp Show. He was halfway through the Valentine's Day special, with his sides hurting from laughter, that he remembered he was going to meet Shadow at his shack... And that his present was still there.

Sonic jumped out of his seat, dropping the TV remote in the process, and sped over to the shack. He was there within seconds. Shadow hadn't arrived yet, thankfully, and his present was exactly where he had left it; on the table.

He picked it up, planning on taking it back to Tails' house, when he heard footsteps on the porch. He placed the present back down and turned around to see Shadow in the entrance. He looked exactly the same as he usually did, he certainly wasn't done up like Zooey, though Sonic hadn't expected him to. It was Shadow after all.

"Didn't keep you waiting, did I?" He asked.

"No, not at all." Sonic replied, walking up to him.

"I got you this." Shadow stated, lifting his hand, and within his grasp was a chilli dog. The sight of Sonic's favourite food made his stomach gurgle. It also reminded him that he hadn't eaten all day. Even still, he didn't want to spoil his meal... But just one chilli dog couldn't hurt, right? And if this was Shadow's Valentine's Day present to him, it would be rude not to eat it.

Sonic let his stomach take control. He took the chilli dog from Shadow and began to scoff it "You're the best." He said through a mouthful of chilli dog.

Shadow smirked "I know."

Sonic swallowed hard "Don't get too cocky." He warned playfully. "Come on, let me take you to where we'll be eating."

"Lead the way."

Sonic glanced over at Shadow's present before leading his partner over to Tails' house. He'd come back for it later. For now, he just wanted to focus on Shadow and give him the perfect date. If everything went to plan, of course. Which it would. Probably.

* * *

Shadow sat opposite Sonic, drinking soda out of a glass and waiting for their meal to finish cooking. Sonic had ultimately decided that he would lite the scented candles, and they really helped to give off a romantic vibe.

"So um..." Sonic began, trying to strike up a conversation. "Did you and Amy finish off whatever you were doing yesterday?" He asked.

Shadow simply nodded in response.

"You don't normally do that sort of stuff, though." Sonic commented.

"She needed some help and you and the others were all busy, so I was happy to oblige. What were you doing yesterday?"

"We were having a group meeting." He lied. It was the best accuse he could come up with at that moment.

"A group meeting that took all day?" Shadow questioned, obviously suspicious.

Sonic laughed nervously "We had a lot to talk about" he said, quickly sipping his drink. This wasn't going anywhere so he decided to change the subject. "What have you been up to lately?" He asked.

"You know what I've been doing. I've been around you most of the time." Shadow replied with a somewhat smart remark.

"I mean, when we're not together, what have you been doing then?"

"Just patrolling, staying on guard. I know Eggman isn't much of a huge threat but I have to remain vigilant." He explained. "What about you?"

"Oh the usual, hanging out with the gang, doing crazy, fun stuff." Sonic told him. "Speaking of the gang, how are you finding it? Y'know, being apart of Team Sonic?"

"Good. Honestly, you're friends aren't as bad as I thought they were. They're still annoying, but I'm starting to get used to it, and maybe with a bit more time, I'll overcome that." Shadow paused for a moment and put his glass down on the table "I thought I'd miss being on my own, but it's gotten to the point that I can't really imagine going back to how I was. Funny how things work out, huh?"

"I'm glad that you've settled in. I really appreciate that you gave them a chance."

"Well, I did do it for you." He commented.

"And like I said, I appreciate that. With you apart of the gang, I finally get to spend more time with you. I know we don't always get to have some alone time when the others are around, and I hope you don't mind that."

"I don't." Shadow responded simply.

"I'm very happy to hear that." Sonic replied, smiling warmly. "But I'll always make time for you, you know that right?"

Shadow nodded "Of course."

"Great."

Shadow glanced over at Tails' house "Sonic, you may want to check on the food - I think something might be burning." He told him, expressing some concern.

"Oh no!" Sonic exclaimed, jumping out of his chair and darting inside the house. He remerged moments later carrying a blackened pheasant. "Um, maybe we could pick out the burnt bits?"

"We'd have an empty plate." Shadow responded.

Sonic sighed, admitting defeat "I'll go make us some sandwiches."

He returned 15 minutes later, carrying a handful of plates. "I made us turkey sandwiches, and some soup and salad to go with it."

He placed the food on the table and proceeded to sit down. "Tails' kitchen is gonna need one heck of a clean up when we're done." Sonic commented "But let's just dig in." He said, picking up his sandwich.

"Aren't you going to make a toast?" Shadow asked.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Sonic replied, picking up his glass "To us." He declared, lifting it up in the air.

"Really?" Shadow questioned, looking unimpressed.

"Can you come up with anything better?" Sonic challenged him.

Shadow sat quietly for a moment, lost in thought, and then picked up his glass "To us"

 _Didn't think so_. Sonic thought to himself, smirking at him. "Happy Valentine's Day." He added as he began to eat.

"Sorry about over cooking our meal." Sonic apologised as they were finishing off their replacement meal "I hope it didn't ruin our date."

"Sonic, you didn't ruin anything. You put so much effort into making tonight prefect. I mean, look at this table, with the cloth, and flowers and candles, not to mention this nice view of the sunset. Burning the food was just one mistake, and you made up for it." Shadow told him. "I enjoyed it."

"That's the biggest compliment you could make." Sonic responded.

"I know, but it's true."

Sonic smiled "We should do this more often."

"Agreed. I don't want this to be a yearly thing. Though I think I should cook next time."

"I think so too." He agreed. "We still have some time before the village dance, do you wanna open your present?" Sonic asked, looking up from his watch.

"You got me a present?" Shadow questioned, though he didn't seem surprised.

"Yeah! Lemme just go get it." Sonic said, before whizzing off. He was back in a second due to his well known speed. "Here you go." He placed the present on the table in front of Shadow "Happy Valentine's Day."

Shadow hesitated before taking off the wrapping paper to reveal a CD sealed within a case, with a CD player to go along with it. "Me, Tails and Knuckles decided to get the band back together. We thought about maybe making you something out of wood at first, but you know what my craftsmanship is like, so we just stuck to singing. We spent all of yesterday writing and recording songs just for you. There's also some love messages on there from me, but I'll let you listen to them later. I also got you the CD player so you can listen to them whenever and wherever you want." He explained.

"Sonic, you really didn't have to go to all this trouble, I would've been happy with a box of chocolate." Shadow told him.

"But I wanted to." Sonic replied softly.

Shadow smiled "Thank you, Sonic. This is a great gift." He said gratefully.

"You're welcome." Sonic sat back down. "That chilli dog you gave me earlier, I liked it, it was a nice present."

Shadow looked up at him after examining the CD. "That wasn't your present."

"It wasn't?" Sonic questioned in surprised.

Shadow shook his head.

"But you didn't know it was Valentine's Day today." He commented.

Shadow smirked "I may have fibbed. You see, as much as I dislike Valentine's Day, I wasn't going to skip getting you a present. I knew you would go all out, so I decided to plan what I was going to get you a week in advance. Amy then helped me make it." He explained.

"So that's why you were over there yesterday! It makes so much sense now."

Shadow got out of his seat "I want you close your eyes and only open them when I tell you to." He told him, walking over and standing behind Sonic "No peaking." He warned.

"Okay, whatever you say." Sonic shut his eyes and waited. He felt Shadow gently untie the knot of his neckerchief. He then slipped it off, only to immediately replace it with something else. He knew it couldn't be his neckerchief, as it felt different. Maybe it was made of another type of material.

"You can open your eyes now." Shadow told him after he tied up whatever it was that was around Sonic's neck. Sonic opened his eyelids and immediately glanced down at his neck, to see a new neckerchief with a blue, black and red colour scheme. The colour of both his and Shadow's fur.

"Shadow, I- I love it. Thank you so much." He said, filed with gratitude. "I'm going to wear it from now on"

Sonic glanced down at his watch once again "The village dance will be starting soon. We should probably head over." He stated, rising to his feet.

"Not yet." Shadow stopped him, placing his hand on Sonic's chest to hold him still. "Let's have a race, like old times. That's something you'd much rather do, right?"

"I do prefer running over dancing, so yeah, I'd love to race you. But where do you want us to race to?"

"You know that lonely tree on the far side of town?" Shadow asked.

"The one on the hill?" Sonic questioned.

"Yeah. I'll race you there. And the winner gets to host the next date we go on."

Sonic grinned "You're on."

"On three." Shadow stated. They both got ready to go. "One... Two... Three!" He exclaimed. The two sped off, neck and neck as they ran passed Sonic's shack, along the beach, and through the town. Sonic managed to get ahead just by the smallest of margins, and reached the tree seconds before Shadow.

"Oh yeah, score one to me!" Sonic exclaimed triumphantly, jumping up and down and punching the air in celebration.

"Well done." Shadow congratulated him.

"Was there ever any doubt? I mean, I've always been faster than you. I'm untouchable, unbeatable, I'm-" Sonic's boasting was cut off when Shadow tackled him and they both ended up rolling down the hill, before landing in a heap at the bottom. Sonic was lying on his back, slightly winded, while Shadow lay on top of him.

"Why did you do that?" He groaned.

"I wanted to prove how untouchable you are." Shadow replied smugly. "Looks like I'll be organising our next date."

"What? But I won the race!" Sonic cried.

"But I pinned you."

"That was never apart of the deal." Sonic responded.

"Don't you think we should take it in turns?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah... After I host the next one, obviously."

"Fine. Have it your way." Shadow replied. "Just promise me that you won't try to impress me. It's getting a bit old at this point. I'd be happy if we did something like this and just spent time together."

"Alright. I worry, that's all. I worry that I'm not good enough for you."

"Oh Sonic." Shadow sighed "Until I tell you I hate your guts and I never want to see you again, you'll always be good enough for me."

"You actually did say that to me at one point." Sonic pointed out.

"I did? Well, if I ever say it again, then."

Sonic chuckled "Okay. I promise."

The two lay there for a moment in complete silence. They could hear the sounds of crickets humming, and a gentle breeze causing the grass around them to sway. The most distinct sound was the music coming from the village, most likely to accompany the dance.

"Do you think they'll miss us?" Shadow questioned, referring to the others, and if they would notice their absence.

"I don't think so." Sonic replied, though he was unsure as to why Shadow would ask.

Shadow slowly moved his hand along Sonic's legs and up his body, before finally reaching behind his back "Then maybe we could stay here for a little while longer. Have some time alone. Enjoy each other's... Company."

Shadow ran his fingers through Sonic's back quills. Sonic shivered with delight and buried his face in Shadow's chest fur momentarily. He then rolled his head back and stared up at Shadow's eyes, and at the intensity of his gaze. Sonic smiled. "I'd like that very much."

* * *

 **...**

 **...**

 **I'm not insinuating anything. What they did after the ending is completely up to interpretation. I can not confirm nor deny that they did some... Business. You can make up your own mind and let me know what you think, if you like. But don't let it overshadow the whole chapter.**

 **This one took a week to write, and it's not even that long. It underwent a rewrite in the early stages and that was a pretty big set back (if anyone would like to see the original-half finished chapter, then let me know, and I might release it as a bonus chapter). I knew I'd be able to finish it in time. Though I had hoped on writing another chapter this week, but no matter. I have four more chapters planned in advance, just need to get around to doing them. You can expect that Sonic Boom chapter in the coming weeks, though this one follows the timeline of chapters 1 and 4, where Sonic and Shadow are trying to keep their relationship a secret from everyone. Though this type of chapter where everyone is aware of their relationship will return sooner than you think.**

 **So, I hope you all have a good Valentine's Day. I'm spending it with my best friend so at least I'm not completely alone. I hope if you have a partner they treat you well on this special day. And if not, then I hope this chapter is sort of a gift to you all. I probably won't write anymore specials unless I think I can make a good short out of a certain holiday.**

 **Happy Valentine's Day and I'll see you whenever I see you.**


	21. Chapter 21

Sonic was sitting in his chair with his feet up on the table, and was waiting around for his friends to arrive for another day of exciting activities. He was currently binding his time by looking through some old photos he had decided to dig up not long after Shadow had returned from his seemingly endless trip. He had just wanted to reminisce on all times and look back at fond memories. He remembered looking at these often when Shadow hadn't been around.

A familiar bright blue light flashed in the doorway as a guest Sonic hadn't been expecting appeared in the shack. It was Shadow, of course.

Sonic quickly put the photos face down on the table "Shadow, what are you doing here?" He asked, getting out of his seat. "I thought we agreed that you'd stay away when the gang was around."

Shadow glanced around the room and then frowned "There isn't anyone here." He commented.

"Well, there could've been, and they'll probably be here any minute." Sonic responded.

"You won't have to worry about them. Tails is finishing off breakfast, Amy is watering her flowers, Knuckles was on his way here but got distracted by some wildlife and Sticks is setting up some traps."

Sonic stared at him blankly, blinking a couple of times.

"I checked before I came." Shadow stated simply.

"So how long do we have?" Sonic questioned.

"The amount of time varies between each of them so I'd say a couple of minutes, give or take."

"A couple of minutes of whatever we want." Sonic replied, staring at him dreamily with half closed eyelids.

"Actually, I came to ask you something." He told him, dismissing Sonic's obvious flirting.

"Oh really, and what's that?"

"Well," Shadow began. "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to spend a weekend away with me. It would be nice to just have some time alone together without having to worry about the others."

Sonic thought for a brief moment before answering "I don't know, Shadow, I'd like to, but I'll have to check my schedule, I might be doing something with the gang." He replied.

"Since when did you keep a schedule?" Shadow questioned.

"After you disappeared off the face of the earth. Amy told me it would be a good idea to get a notebook so that I can keep track of things." He explained, taking out said notebook and examining Saturday and Sunday's pages. "Hm, looks like we're going on a hiking trip that day. Sorry, Shadow, maybe next weekend?" He suggested.

"You mean you're going to turn me down for them?" Shadow questioned, rather irritated by Sonic's decision.

"I can't just blow off the gang, they're my friends." Sonic told him.

"And I'm your partner." Shadow responded "You see them near enough everyday, when was the last time we got to spend time together?"

Sonic shrugged "When you were still around." He muttered, sounding somewhat bitter.

Shadow ignored that comment. "The Sonic I know wouldn't consult some diary if he wanted to do something, he'd just do it. Don't let a little schedule hold you back from doing what you want. I'm sure your friends won't mind if you take some time off. It's just one weekend."

"But, we've been planning this trip for like a week now."

"Sonic, I can't keep working around you and your friends. Just do me a favour and ditch the diary for this one occasion, that's all I'm asking." Shadow practically begged.

Sonic sighed "Fine, I'll do it, but next time you'll have to get in there first."

"I hear you." Shadow replied. He leaned forwards and gave Sonic a small kiss on the cheek "I'll see you tomorrow bright and early." And with those parting words, he teleported out of the shack.

Sonic took out a pencil and crossed out the note about the hiking trip and replaced it with 'Weekend with Shadow' written in capital letters and stretching across both days. He sighed once again and put his notebook away. There was already tension between them with organising the whole thing, could the weekend really be that much better?

He knew Shadow was trying. Was that not enough?

* * *

It was early morning, and Sonic was busy writing a note when Shadow arrived. "Ready to go?" Shadow asked, gently patting Sonic on the back.

Sonic nodded "Yep. Just gotta pin this note for the gang up outside." He told him, walking out of the shack.

"Seriously?" Shadow questioned gruffly.

"I don't want them thinking Eggman has captured me or something." Sonic explained, pinning the note on the door frame.

"I doubt Eggman could capture you even if he wanted to." Shadow commented "Unless he tempted you with chilli dogs." He then added smugly.

"Funny." Sonic replied, even though he wasn't amused nor was he laughing.

"You haven't told them where you're going, have you?"

"No, of course not. I'm not stupid enough to let our secret slip like that."

"You could've fooled me" Shadow remarked. Sonic glared at him crossly. "You got everything you need?" Shadow asked, quickly changing the subject "Not taking any luggage with you?"

"No, why would I?" He responded.

"Well, seen as though you have a diary now, I thought you might be taking a little packed lunch and a suitcase with you." He teased.

"I don't really have anything to take with me, all I have is this scarf, and I don't have any spares. I don't wash it that often either." He knew he was taking what Shadow said too literately but he wasn't really in the mood to play along, since he was making fun of such a basic thing. What was so bad about him having a schedule? Was he just bitter that Sonic hadn't made time for him?

"Good to know." Shadow responded bluntly, though his words lacked any meaning or emotion. He then walked off, heading across the beach. Sonic wondered where he was going, but followed him nevertheless, since he was probably taking him to wherever they were spending their weekend. The two walked along the sand in silence before stopping at the edge of the sea and staring offshore at the rippling waves.

"Hold my hand." Shadow instructed, lifting his hand up to Sonic.

"Why? Are you trying to get all romantic with me? Make some sort of advancement?" Sonic quizzed, teasing him a little. Perhaps he should try and make the best of this instead of turning down Shadow at every opportunity. He really was trying.

"No, I'm going to teleport us to another location and we need to be touching in order to do that." Shadow explained. "Wait, that came out wrong. It's not that I don't want to be romantic or anything, it's just-"

Sonic chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He told him. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. All he needed to do was give him a chance. He couldn't let the past ruin this time they had together. "So you can teleport us both?" Sonic asked, getting back on track.

"Yes, it just requires a bit more concentration."

"Cool" Sonic said, taking Shadow's hand. Shadow closed his eyes and scrunched up his face as he focused his powers. Sonic could feel a build up of energy, followed by a bright blue flash. Mere moments later, the light cleared, and he found himself standing on top of a ridge. Shadow was still standing next to him, but released his hand, and walked to the edge of the ridge, and stared across the desert-like landscape.

"Wow that was-" he stopped himself as his stomach began to churn "Oh chaos, I think I'm going to be sick." He turned away, hunching over.

"Are you alright?" Shadow asked concernedly.

"I'm fine- oh chaos-" he gagged, but no sick came out of his mouth "Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, quickly recovering and straightening himself up "Just not used to teleporting around."

"That's understandable. I wasn't sure how you'd react, but I'm glad you're okay." Shadow told him. He then turned his attention back to gazing at the horizon. Sonic joined him at the edge of the ridge, and looked down at the canyon below.

"Wait, have I been here before? I feel like I know this place."

"You should. This is Shadow Canyon, where you and I fought when I was under Lyric's control." Shadow told him. "I never thanked you for helping me, if you hadn't freed me, I might still be his slave. I appreciate what you did."

"It was nothing. All I did was break that head thingie." Sonic dismissed it.

"Mind controlling headset." Shadow corrected him.

"Yeah that."

Sonic sat down at the edge of the canyon and stared across the landscape. Shadow sat down beside him. "So you've been living here?" Sonic asked.

Shadow simply nodded in response.

"For how long?"

"I haven't been here for as long as we've been apart but... I'd say a couple of months, I don't really keep track." He told him.

"Where do you sleep?"

"I sleep under the stars, and I often move around, but there's always one place that I go back to. Would you like to see it?" He asked.

"Sure." Sonic answered "Lets go."

Shadow got up and led the way, moving along the edge of the canyon and towards their destination.

* * *

"Welcome to my home." Shadow announced, leading Sonic inside a cave that was based at a lower area of the canyon wall. "I know it's rather primitive, but you can't exactly find abandoned buildings out here."

Sonic walked inside, glancing down at the burnt out fire pit that was in the centre of the cave. "At least you have a roof over your head that's guaranteed not to leak, unlike my shack."

"There's also a hole at the back which takes you into some cave systems, and those lead into the mines. I was thinking that we could explore them later."

Sonic looked at the cave wall, noticing a photograph that was pinned there. He walked up to it and examined it closer by taking it off the wall "Hey, I remember this photo." He stated. The photograph depicted him and Shadow with their cheeks pressed up against each other's and smiling into the camera "This was taken way back, even before we fought Lyric. I'm not even wearing my scarf or sports tape!" He chuckled "Look at how young we were... We were so happy back then."

"We still are, aren't we?" Shadow asked.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Sonic replied. "I never thought you would've kept this all this time." He murmured.

"Why wouldn't I? What reason would I have to throw it away?"

"I don't know, you didn't seem like the type of guy to hold onto the past" Sonic told him "Nevermind, it doesn't matter." He said simply, and proceeded to pin the photo back onto the wall.

"Would you like to explore the caves now?" Shadow asked him, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, that should be fun. I haven't been in those mines for a long time." Sonic answered.

"I'll go open up the entrance to the cave systems." He declared.

Sonic was about to follow him over, but paused halfway, and looked back at the picture on the wall. He wondered if Shadow believed him about them both being happy. After all, it wasn't exactly true.

* * *

After a long day of exploring the caves and mines, Shadow and Sonic were camped out on ridge along with a roaring fire. Sleeping under the stars wasn't exactly new to either of them, but it was a nice experience.

"I enjoyed today." Sonic stated aloud "I'm looking forward to whatever we'll be doing tomorrow."

"Me too." Shadow replied.

"Doesn't it get kinda lonely out here?" Sonic asked, turning his head to look at him. Shadow did the same.

"Sometimes." Shadow answered simply.

"Why don't you come live at Bygone Island? We'd be able to see each other more often."

"And risk running into your entourage of friends? No thanks." Shadow responded, seemingly disgusted that Sonic would ask such a thing. He then sat up and stared off into the distance. "I was thinking, maybe we could make this a regular thing. And after a while, you could stay over permanently. We'd have to move all your stuff out of the shack first..." he began to go on and on about all the plans he had for the two of them. Meanwhile, Sonic was just trying to take it all in.

After listening to him for over a minute, he realised that he had had enough "Shadow, stop, seriously, stop." Sonic demanded.

Shadow fell silent.

"I can't take it anymore." Sonic stated. "You can't just ignore what you did like it never happened. I know you're trying to fix things, but you can't fix it just like that! You can't expect me to go along with this, can you? Why are you pretending that you did nothing wrong? Because you did, Shadow, you left! You left without a word, you didn't say anything, you didn't do anything, you just went away, and I didn't even realise until it was too late. You never contacted me, you never called, you never wrote. For all I knew you could've been dead in a ditch!" He paused to catch his breath, with his mind racing a mile a minute.

"And not only that, you left me with so many questions. You left me wondering why, why did you leave, was it my fault, did I do something wrong? I asked myself those questions so many times, but you weren't there to answer any of them. And you still haven't said anything about it! You think you can just come back and everything would be exactly how you left it! Well guess what, Shadow, things changed, I've changed, I'm not the same Sonic that I used to be." He paused once again, but he certainly wasn't done. He was just getting started.

"Do you have any idea how long you've been gone, Shadow? Do you have any idea?" Sonic questioned. "Over two years. Two years, Shadow!" He exclaimed. "You didn't even come back for me, you came back because Eggman sent you those invitations to that stupid villains meeting. Would you have even come back if he hadn't? Or would you have stayed gone?"

Shadow didn't answer, he was just taking all of this in. Sonic didn't care, he just wanted to carry on. He was on fire.

"I can't believe you think I'll just go along with all of this. You think I'll abandon my friends to be with you?! But the truth is, they're not just my friends, they're my team, my family, and I certainly wouldn't leave them for you. Because they were there for me, whenever I was down, they were always there. Where were you, Shadow? Where were you when I needed you most? Oh that's right, you were off doing whatever, going around the world and doing your own thing. Did you even think about me? Did I ever cross your mind? Did the thought of what you might be doing to me ever come to you? I never thought you could be so stupid."

"You think you can come back and pick up all the pieces. That you can do all of this and it'll make me feel better. Well, I hate to break it to you, but it doesn't. You haven't fixed anything, you've made everything worse. I don't know how you could possibly think that you could fix it so easily. Sometimes I don't even know what's going on inside your head, sometimes I don't even understand you, it's like you're a complete stranger, and to tell you the truth, I think you are. I feel like I don't know you anymore. Whatever we had, whatever you think we had, died after you left. There is nothing, literally nothing, holding us together anymore. And the only one to blame here is you." Sonic finished his long rant, though he wasn't yelling anymore, he was speaking in a low, serious tone that he didn't even think he could ever do.

Shadow sat there silently, unsure of what to say or do. He was just completely taken aback by what Sonic had said.

"What, nothing? You're not going to say anything? Not even an 'I'm sorry'?" Sonic questioned harshly. "Look, you either start talking, or you can consider this the end of us, because I am tired of pretending that everything it fine because it's not. It never has been."

Shadow remained silent. He looked at Sonic with a saddened expression and then looked down at the ground in defeat.

"Fine." Sonic said dryly. "Take me home, please. I want you to take me home."

It was raining heavily when Sonic and Shadow arrived back at Sonic's shack. The two stood facing each other in silence, the rain pouring down on them all the while and soaking their fur. Shadow stared at him, water trickling down his face and dripping from his nose. He glanced down at the ground, and without a word, he turned and walked away.

Sonic's gaze only lingered on him for a brief moment before he too walked off and headed over to the shack. He paused outside, noticing that the note he had left had some new writing on it. He plucked the piece of paper from where it was pinned, and examined the note. He then realised that the writing was messages left by his friends.

"Be back soon!" - Tails

"You know where we are if you need anything." - Amy

There was some mindless scrawl after Amy's message, which could belong to non other than Knuckles. He couldn't help but wonder what he had been trying to say, though it was probably something dumb.

"You better not be doing anything behind our backs!" - Sticks

Looks like Sticks' paranoia had proven her right. Come to think of it, she had been right on many occasions. However, it didn't really matter to him right now. Even still, seeing the messages from the gang made him smile and made him somewhat happy, despite being in this dark time.

Sonic carried the note inside and put it on the table along with the photos he had been looking at days earlier. A small part of him wanted to scatter the pictures across the room, to help settle his anger. But the majority of him wanted to lie in his hammock and just try to forget everything that had happened, despite the fact that it just wasn't possible. Nevertheless, he'd stay there for a while and be with his sorrow.

He climbed into the hammock and rolled onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling with his head rested on his arm. He closed his eyes, and let out a shaky sigh, with his lip quivering. That's when he felt some water dripping on his face.

Sonic opened his eyes, watching as the rain began to leak through the roof directly above him. Knowing he couldn't sleep there, he climbed out of his hammock and sped out of the shack. He was outside of Tails' house within seconds.

He hesitated for moment, wondering whether he should let Tails see him like this. He was bound to know something was wrong. Maybe he should go back to his shack and just deal with leak. He couldn't face Tails like this.

Then again, it would be nice to have some company after his and Shadow's fallout. If you could even call it that, it was more or less the end of their relationship as far as he knew, since Shadow wasn't making an effort to put things right. Plus he was wet and cold. He ultimately decided to knock on the door. When there was no answer, he knocked again. And again. And again.

Once he heard an unlocking sound on the other side, he stopped, and waited. A few seconds later, the door swung open, and a tired Tails was revealed to him. Sonic had forgotten that it was the middle of the night.

"Oh hey Sonic, I didn't think you were getting back until tomorrow." Tails greeted, trying to hide just how tired he really was.

"Can I crash on your couch? My roof is leaking." Sonic requested, ignoring Tails' remark.

"Yeah, of course, come in." Tails replied, moving aside and allowing Sonic inside. "I'll go get you a towel." Sonic trudged over to the couch and slumped down on it.

Tails returned carrying a towel and handed it to Sonic. Sonic threw the towel over his head and began to dry himself off. "Are you okay, Sonic? You don't seem like yourself." Tails commented.

"I'm fine." Sonic told him, throwing the towel aside.

Tails walked over to his fold out bed and laid down, resting his head on a pillow and pulling a blanket over himself. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Sonic turned his head away, fighting back tears as his eyes began to well up. "Everything is fine." He insisted, almost choking up.

"If you say so." Tails responded, settling down and preparing himself for sleep.

Sonic closed his eyes and listened to the sound of the rain thundering on the roof as he began to sob silently. Perhaps going to sleep would help him escape this overwhelming sadness.

* * *

Sonic returned to his shack early the next day after a long night of restless sleep. He was feeling a little less angry and upset, though admittedly he was still both those things, but at least he felt a bit better. He was even considering contacting Shadow, to try and get this all sorted out.

As he entered the shack, he was pleased to find that the rainwater that had leaked in had dried up. He began to get settled back into his home, when he noticed the note he had left on the table had been flipped over and had new writing on it. It was also accompanied by a photograph.

Sonic picked up the piece of paper and began to read it.

"Sonic, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and I'm sorry that I did. Maybe it was just too soon for us to try and start over. I think it would be best if I go away again for while, and come back when things have settled down. Then maybe, just maybe, we can try again. But until then, I want you to know that while I was gone, I never stopped thinking about you. Not a day went by where you weren't in my thoughts.

I truly am sorry for everything I have done to you. I hope one day you'll be able to forgive me.

Forever yours,

Shadow."

Sonic put the note down and scooped up the photograph. Seeing what the photo was made his heart sink. It was the photo that Shadow had kept ever since it had been taken. And what was written on the back was like a punch to the gut.

"I still love you."

Sonic dropped the photo and dashed out of the shack. He rushed to Tails' house and hammered on the door with all his might. Tails opened the door, looking confused by the ruckus.

"Tails, I need you to fly me to Shadow Canyon, right now!" He exclaimed.

"What, why? Is there an emergency?"

"There's no time to explain, we have to hurry!"

"Alright, alright, I'll go get my plane." Tails stated, running over to his workshop. Moments later he came out, riding in his bright yellow plane. Sonic ran over and jumped into the passenger seat behind Tails.

"I'll get us there as quick as I can, so hold on tight!" Tails ordered, firing up the engine. The plane roared into action and the propeller began to spin furiously. Not long after they were in flight and soaring away from Bygone Island.

It took longer in than plane than it did with Shadow's teleportation ability. Sonic just hoped he wasn't too late to catch him. Tails landed the plane in Shadow Canyon, with Sonic immediately jumping out and rushing off "Thanks Tails, I'll be back soon." He called back to him as he ran to Shadow's cave. It was his best bet at finding him.

He made it to the cave, only to find it completely empty. There were no new embers in the fire pit either. He clearly wasn't there, and hadn't been there ever since he had shown it to him. Sonic only had one idea to fall back on, and he wasn't even sure if it would work, but it was worth a try.

He left the cave and ran to the highest point of Shadow Canyon in order to get a good view. He was hoping that he might be able to spy Shadow from a good vantage point. Sadly, he could not. Looking over the desolate landscape the only thing that stood out was Tails' plane. There was no black and red hedgehog in sight.

He was too late. Shadow was gone. It was like he was losing him all over again. Would he ever come back?

With a heavy heart, Sonic had no choice but to go back to Tails and fly home, alone and heartbroken.

When he got back, he opted to simply sit on the porch and stare solemnly at the photo of him and Shadow. He wished he could go back to that moment. Where they were young and had not a care in the world. Back when they were both truly happy.

Sonic sniffed sadly and ran his thumb over Shadow's face.

"You came looking for me." An all too familiar voice said.

Sonic lifted his head and saw Shadow standing in front of him. He quickly jumped up and wrapped his arms around Shadow, embracing him in a hug. "Don't go." He whimpered, tears forming in his eyes "Please don't leave me again."

"But, I thought-" Shadow began.

Sonic took hold of Shadow's face and squished his cheeks "It doesn't matter. Stay, please stay." He pleaded.

Shadow lifted his hands and removed Sonic's from his face "Okay, I'll stay."

Sonic embraced him in a hug once again, this time clenching him even tighter, never wanting to let go. "I'm sorry, for everything. I never should have left. I thought I was looking out for you, when really, I was just looking out for myself. I was trying to make myself feel better about what I had done." Shadow apologised "I shouldn't have pushed you. I see now that all we need to do is take our time, and maybe we could try again."

Sonic nodded "I'd like that."

"I wish I could go back and make sure that I never leave, but I can't. But I want to make it right, here and now. If there's anything I can do, anything, to make you happy, then just name it, and I'll do it."

Sonic pulled away but kept his arms wrapped around Shadow. "Don't leave me again. No matter what happens, you stay here, by my side. That's all I want."

"Consider it done." Shadow assured him with a comforting smile.

"I'm sorry too, for the things I said last night. I know neither of us are perfect, nor is our relationship, but as long as we're together, that's all I need." Sonic expressed his feelings. "And... I love you too." He said, referring to the message Shadow had left on the back of the photo. "Even when you were gone, I never stopped loving you, even when I was angry at you for leaving. I just wanted you to know that."

"I'm glad." Shadow replied.

The two sat down on the porch, with their arms wrapped around each other. "Would you like to have another photo? A sort of an after shot?" Sonic asked.

"Sure, why not."

Sonic quickly got up and grabbed the camera from inside the shack. He came back out and sat down in his original place. They both squeezed up next to each other as Sonic lifted the camera high above them and snapped a picture of them both smiling.

Shadow leaned in and kissed Sonic on the neck. Sonic laughed and fell backwards onto the porch, dropping the camera in the process. It landed on the sand, and had ended up taking another picture.

The photo that was developed showed Shadow and Sonic captured in a moment of pure passion, kissing one another lovingly on the lips. They may not have been as happy as they once were, but who knows, given a little bit of time, they could be even happier. And when looking back at this exact moment, they didn't have to feel bad about what had happened between them. They could treasure it. Forever.

* * *

 **A/N: Hey everyone.**

 **This chapter is linked to chapter 1 and 4 in a way, since they're trying to keep their relationship a secret. This idea is really old, it's been sitting on my to-do list ever since the first couple of chapters, and was originally supposed to be the other's finding out about Sonic and Shadow's relationship and how the other's reacted and how Sonic and Shadow handled it. I like what it is now, though, and who knows, maybe I'll do the original idea some other time.**

 **I don't think I've done a conflict between Sonic and Shadow before. Wait, yes I did, it was chapter 7, and it's non-existent second part (I honestly don't know if I'll ever do part 2 to that chapter, other ideas got in the way and it eventually got buried, like this chapter, only this one managed to strike my interest again. It might resurface at some point, it depends if it's still relevant and if I can dig up my plan and if people are interested in seeing it.)**

 **I only just noticed that both of the holiday specials were in the tens (10th and 20th chapter). Funny, huh? That was not planned it all. It was a coincidence.**

 **So, the next chapter is gonna be Sonic and Lancelot. I'll let you know in advance that it's kinda sad, but that all depends on how I write it, but that's what it is intended to be and I'm going to put in maximum effort. Ever since chapter 17 I swore to myself I wouldn't write that kind of quality again. I despise that chapter with a passion.**

 **They'll be two chapters afterwards that will be linked to the propasal chapter, which was chapter 12, I think. It's not the actual wedding, though, I refuse to write something so boring and trivial as 'blah blah Shadow do you take Sonic as your blah blah husband blah blah I do blah blah blah kiss'. No, it's something much more interesting and has some thought put into it.**

 **So that's what you can expect for the next three chapters. I hope you enjoyed this one, I fully enjoyed writing Sonic's rant. A lot of thought went into the dialogue at that part and at the end.**

 **I'll see you in the Sonic and Lancelot one. Should come later this week or early next week. Bye!**


	22. Chapter 22

Lancelot stood in the throne room, watching King Arthur, or Sonic as he liked to be referred to as, sitting in the royal chair and constantly fidgeting in place. He just couldn't stay still and looked rather bored.

Suddenly the door to the throne room burst open, and a messenger came running in. The messenger stopped at the bottom of the steps that led up to the throne and quickly went down on one knee. "My Lord, I come baring news."

Sonic leaned forwards, intrigued by what the messenger had to say. "What is it?" He asked.

"A knight has challenged you to a duel. He wants to meet tomorrow morning in Faron Woods." The messenger declared.

"A fight, huh? Sounds like fun. I accept!"

Lancelot was surprised that he would accept the challenge without much thought. He had to intervene. He quickly walked over, his custom made armour clinking and rattling as he moved. "Sir, might I object. I don't think you should be the one to fight. However, I could replace you, if you so choose."

"Lance, relax, I got this. I can take care of myself, and I'm sure this guy ain't so tough. It'll be a piece of cake." Sonic replied confidently.

"But sir, you don't even know who this challenger is." Lancelot objected.

"I'm afraid his identity is unknown." The messenger spoke up.

"See, he can't be that tough, he's afraid of telling us his name." Sonic commented.

"Sir, you really should think this through. This challenger could be anyone, you don't know what their skill level is like. They might even be a threat."

"Lance, you don't need to worry about me, I can handle this, I defeated the Black Knight and and Merlina, didn't I?"

"You're right." Lancelot responded "Forgive me for questioning your abilities." He said, bowing to him.

"Hey, don't worry about it." He replied, before turning his attention back to the messenger "Go back and tell this knight that I accept his challenge." He instructed.

The messenger nodded, bowing to Sonic and then making a hasty retreat. Once he was gone, Sonic turned his attention back to Lancelot. "Thanks for looking out for me, Lance. You always have my back." He said with a grin.

Lancelot couldn't help but feel himself blushing. He was just glad that his helmet hid his bright red cheeks.

* * *

 _Lancelot watched in pure horror as the rival knight stabbed his sword through Sonic's chest. Sonic inhaled sharply, before he started to choke on his own blood. Immediately after, the blade was torn out of Sonic's chest. His legs buckled and he collapsed onto the ground._

 _"NO!" Lancelot screamed._

The sound of thunder crackled over head as Lancelot sat up in bed, breathing heavily, with pools of sweat dripping from his body. A flash of lightening lit up the area, allowing Lancelot to see for a brief moment that he was not in the woods, but in fact in the comfort of his own room.

"It was just a dream." He told himself quietly, touching his bed sheets just to assure himself that it was true.

He felt uneasy. Something wasn't quite right. He had to check on the King.

Lancelot threw back the covers and got out of bed. After that he had to put on his armour, after all, he couldn't let the King see him without it. That would be unprofessional. Once he was ready, he exited his room and hurried to the King's quarters. Once he arrived, he knocked on the door and waited in the corridor with the sound of heavy rain falling outside.

Mere moments later, the door opened slightly to reveal Sonic's face. Lancelot bowed to him "My Lord, forgive me for disturbing you at such a late hour." He apologised.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad to see you." Sonic replied. He then opened the door wider "Come in." He said, inviting him inside.

Lancelot hesitated before entering the room. It was quite a large room, with a King sized bed to go with it. Lancelot had never entered Sonic's living quarters until now, he'd never had any reason to. He certainly was living a life of royalty, which was to be expected.

"So, Lance, what did you come to see me for?" Sonic asked, grabbing his attention. "I mean, there must be a reason you came here in the middle of the night."

"Yes, there is a reason." Lancelot began. "I know that we agreed that you would be the one to fight tomorrow, Sir, but as your personal guard, I think it would be wise if you dropped out, for your own safety. And..." He trailed off for a second "I think I should take your place. I am the strongest member in the Knights of the Round Table. It would be an honour to fight in your name."

Sonic stared at him "So, what you're saying is, you'd rather put yourself in harms way to protect me?" He questioned.

"Of course. As a knight it is my duty to protect my King. If that means that I am to be hurt, then so be it." Lancelot answered.

Sonic sighed "Do they really tell you all this stuff at knight school or whatever?" He questioned. "Lance, your safety is just as important as mine."

"But you're more important, I am nothing compared to you."

"That's not true. You mean everything, Shadow, especially to me." Sonic told him, reaching out and touching his hand. He then came to a sudden realisation and pulled his hand away "Sorry, I slipped up again. It's easy to forget sometimes." He apologised. "Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable."

"Not at all." Lancelot replied. "However, I don't understand, why won't you let me do this for you?" He asked, though he was treading very carefully with his questions.

"Because it's my fight, and I don't want you to fight my own battles for me. Plus, I don't want that guy thinking I'm a coward."

"You're right, Sir. You always are."

"Heh, don't flatter me, I'm not always right." Sonic responded with a small chuckle.

"A King normally is. He knows what he wants, and he knows what is best." Lancelot stated simply.

Sonic looked at him for a moment and then glanced out of the window at the pouring rain. "Tell me, Lance, has anyone ever asked you what you want?" He quizzed.

"What I want? What I want does not matter." He answered.

"It matters to me." Sonic told him. "Come on, tell me something you want to do or say, I won't get mad at you for it." He encouraged him. "You can talk to me, you know that, right?"

"I-" Lancelot began "What I want is to go with you tomorrow, to make sure that you are safe. If I cannot fight for you, then I shall remain by your side and ensure that nothing happens."

"Sure, you can tag along." Sonic said cheerfully.

"I may?" Lancelot asked, surprised by Sonic's response.

"Of course. I could really use the company."

"Thank you Sir, no one has ever listened or given me permission to do what I want before." Lancelot said gratefully.

"No problem. I'll always listen to what you have to say, so don't ever hold back. You don't have to worry about over stepping your bounds around me. I'm not like your old King, or like any other. I'm just me." Sonic replied.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Is there anything else you want to say while we're at it? Anything you've kept bottled up and just need to open up about?" Sonic asked.

"I-" Lancelot hesitated and bit down on his inside lip, so hard that he almost made it bleed. He knew Sonic wanted him to express himself, but there was something on his mind that he thought would be best if he held his tongue about. "No, that will be all, Sir." He stated simply. "I shall leave you in peace. My apologies for bothering you."

"You don't have to be sorry, you weren't bothering me at all. In fact, I was happy that I got to talk to you properly for once." Sonic responded, smiling at him warmly. "And you don't have to call me Sir or Lord all the time, you can just call me Sonic, or Arthur if you want."

Lancelot stared at him for a few seconds, studying his expression. From his body language and the way he spoke, Sonic truly did believe that they were one in the same. Lancelot couldn't help but admire that, despite the fact that it went against what a King was. Even still, he could not allow it to go any further than it had. He wasn't like Sonic, he had strict rules to follow. "Sir, as much as I appreciate the offer, it is not my place to call you by name without mentioning your title, it would not be very chivalry of me." He stated.

"I bid you goodnight. Farewell, King Arthur." He bowed, and with those final words he departed, exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.

He paused in the corridor and leaned back against the wall, clutching his chest.

If only he knew.

* * *

In the early hours morning, there were dark grey clouds hanging overhead, with no sign of the sun. It was raining, just not as much as the night before, instead it was just a light drizzle. It was also slightly foggy, reducing the amount of visibility they had.

Sonic and Lancelot walked side by side through Faron Woods. Lancelot had his hand rested on the handle of his sword, and was remaining vigilant. He was fully aware of his surroundings, and was ready to unsheathe his sword at any given moment if anyone dared to ambush them.

"I don't see why I have to wear this armour." Sonic grumbled. "It slows me down."

Lancelot glanced at him, studying the golden armour that he was adoring. "It's to keep you safe. One slash from the enemy's sword and it could all be over, but your armour should be able to protect you from harm." He told him.

"The enemy wouldn't be able to touch me if I wasn't wearing this armour, I'd be able to go a lot faster."

"And what if the tip of his sword caught you? You can never know what might happen, so you have to take precautions."

"Where is this guy, anyway? He said he'd be here." Sonic wondered.

"It's hard to see anything with this weather. However, we have not arrived at our destination yet, so just be patient." Lancelot informed him.

The two continued to walk in silence. Lancelot glanced up at the trees, watching as water droplets dripped off of the leaves. There was also a strong scent of wet grass.

"So why did you want to fight for me?" Sonic asked.

Lancelot turned his head towards him. "It is my duty as a knight to ensure that the throne is not threatened. I must protect you and my kingdom. Long live the King, as they say."

"That's your only reason, nothing else?" Sonic quizzed. He seemed suspicious, could be tell that Lancelot was hiding something?

"Is my word not enough?" Lancelot fired a question back at him.

"Yeah, of course it is, but-" Lancelot interrupted him, putting his hand in front of Sonic to stop him where he was. On the path in front of them was a shadowy figure that they could only just make out through the fog.

"Who goes there?" Lancelot called out.

The figure did not respond, instead he or she began to approach, whilst withdrawing a sword.

Lancelot withdrew his own "Speak thy name or I shall strike thee!" He shouted.

The stranger went down on one knee and bowed.

"Relax, Lance, it's just the challenger." Sonic spoke up, moving Lancelot aside and unsheathing his sword. The rival knight stood up, preparing for the fight.

"Hm, not much of a talker is he." Sonic commented. "Stand aside, Lance, I have a battle to win."

Lancelot moved aside, standing beside a tree, as Sonic charged at the rival knight, and their swords clashed, the blade's making a metal clang as they swung at one another over and over again. He had to admit, the rival knight was able to easily match Sonic.

Every time there swords clashed, Lancelot's heart skipped a beat and he jolted slightly. Why was he so nervous? Did he not have faith in Sonic? He just couldn't stop thinking about his dream.

His grip on his sword tightened as he watched the two duel. All of a sudden, the rival knight managed to catch Sonic off guard, and knocked his sword out of his hand. But instead of ending the fight, he carried on, slashing his sword at Sonic. His blade cut Sonic's arm, with some of his blood splattering on the trees.

He swung at him again, cutting Sonic a second time. The blue hedgehog stumbled backwards and collapsed, clutching his injuries.

"You have disarmed him! The battle is over, you have won!" Lancelot intervened.

The rival knight turned to look at him, and Lancelot managed to catch sight of his eyes. They were glowing bright red, and he could feel them piercing his very soul. This knight, he was not natural. Could he be one of Merlina's creatures in disguise?

He did not care who this knight was. The one thing he did care about was that Sonic was defenceless, and the knight didn't intend on backing down. He was going to kill him.

The knight turned his attention away from Lancelot and charged towards Sonic, his sword at the ready, planning on striking him while he was down. The memory of Lancelot's dream flashed before his eyes. He could not allow this to happen. Not like this. He had to stop him.

"NO!"

A flock of crows flew out of the branches of the trees and took to the skies. Once their loud squawking ceased, the area fell deathly quiet.

Sonic heard the sound of a sword cutting through flesh. At first, he thought it was himself that had been striked, only to realise not long after just how wrong he truly was. He lifted his head, and what he saw left him utterly speechless.

Lancelot was standing directly in front of him, the rival knight's sword stabbed through his stomach. Lancelot's breath hitched and blood spilled out of his mouth. He dropped his sword, the blade clattering as it hit the floor.

The rival knight tore the sword out of Lancelot's stomach. The black and red hedgehog turned his head to look at Sonic, his expression masked with fear, as his legs buckled and he collapsed onto the ground.

"SHADOW!" Sonic screamed. In that moment, shouted the wrong name without even noticing. He ran over to Lancelot and rolled him onto his back. Once in that position, Sonic couldn't help but stare at the large hole in his body, with crimson red liquid pooling around him and staining the grass.

Sonic looked up at the rival knight, only to discover that he had fled. "Murderer!" He yelled, his words echoing through the forest. "You'll pay for what you've done!"

"He's not... Worth it..." Lancelot said, his voice hushed and strained.

Sonic looked down at him, and put his arm behind Lancelot's head to support him. The knight winced in pain. "Forgive me, Sir... I had to." Lancelot apologised.

"Why Lance? Why did you do it? You didn't have to, I thought you knew that. I thought you understood."

"Arthur." Lancelot addressed him "I did not do it because you are my King. I did it... Because I wanted to."

Sonic was astonished. He didn't know what to say. "Don't- don't worry, Lance, we'll get you help. We can still fix you." He told him. "You're going to be okay."

"Don't lie... You and I both know that this is the end for me here." Lancelot responded.

Sonic almost choked up as tears began to well up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I should've listened to you, I should have refused his challenge." He sobbed.

"It's not your fault. Don't ever think that. It was my choice. I was the one that was prepared to die for you. I was the one that did not tell you why you should not fight. If anyone one is to blame, then it would be me."

Sonic shook his head "It should've been me." He whimpered.

"Don't say that... Your life is precious."

"And so is yours!" Sonic cried.

"I know... But all things must come to an end, you know that." He replied. The black and red hedgehog lifted his hand and placed it on Sonic's cheek, and wiped away his tears with his thumb.

"Sonic." Lancelot addressed him by his actual name. "You have shown me a kindness that I never thought I would be given. I once thought that I was nothing, but you... You made me feel like I was everything. You have treated me not as a knight, but as a friend. I am eternally grateful for that." He paused for a moment, letting out a long winded sigh, his breathing raspy. "And also..." He began. "Ever since we met, I had these feelings that I never felt before. I tried to ignore them for the longest time but now I've come to realise that those feelings... Those feelings were love."

"And I love you. At first I thought it was because you looked like Shadow, when really, I just love you for who you are, Lance." Sonic expressed his feelings. "You're loyal, kind and brave. You've always been there for me, you've always put me first. You even gave yourself up for me. I appreciate everything that you've done. You're truly incredible."

"I wish we could be together... But we can't. You are not mine to have. Your heart belongs to Shadow." Lancelot paused "And that is why I want you to go back to him, back to your world, where you belong." He stated.

"No, I'm not leaving you. I won't." Sonic replied.

"Why? Do you not love him?" He questioned.

"Of course I do, but I love you just as much as I love him. I can't leave you, not after everything we've been through."

"I'll be gone, anyway. And it's what I want. Please, if not for yourself, then do it for me. It would make me happy to know that you and him were reunited after all this time. And whoever that was, he wants you dead. He will come back, and I won't be able to protect you. But I know Shadow can. I want you to be safe."

"Alright, I'll-" Sonic couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't want to leave him, not like this. "I'll go back. I promise."

"Thank you, Sonic. He's lucky to have you - as was I."

"I was lucky to have you too. I wouldn't have known what to do without you, Lance."

Lancelot exhaled deeply, his eyelids fluttered. He was short of time. "Sonic, I have one last request of you."

"Name it."

"Remove my helmet for me, please." He asked him.

Sonic nodded in response and moved his hands and gently removed Lancelot's helmet, freeing his head of the metal armour. Sonic gazed at his face, he'd never seen it fully before. He looked just like Shadow, but that didn't matter to him anymore. Lancelot looked like Lancelot. That was the truth.

The two stared at each other, with Lancelot's breathing becoming shorter by the second. They didn't have very long. They had to make it count.

"You were everything I wanted." Lancelot whispered softly.

Sonic was truly touched by those words. He placed his hands on Lancelot's face and leaned in, kissing him on the lips. As Sonic pulled away, Lancelot closed his eyes, a small smile appearing on his face as he exhaled his last breath.

"Lance?" Sonic addressed him.

He didn't answer.

"No..." Sonic whimpered. He pulled Lancelot's limp body close to him and began to cradle him in his arms. He buried his face in his fur as tears streamed down his cheeks. "Wherever you were was where I belonged."

* * *

The rain had stopped and the grey clouds had parted, allowing the bright rays of sunlight to touch the earth.

The King and Lancelot were missing.

The rest of the Knights of the Round Table, Gawain and Percival, went searching for them, in fear that something might have happened. Lancelot's body was found in the shade of a tree, his sword stabbed into the ground beside him, almost as if it was some sort of memorial.

The King's armour was found close by, but he still remained missing.

Despite his brutal injury, Lancelot looked so peaceful, almost as if he was in an eternal slumber. Even in death, his expression showed that he was frozen in a moment of pure happiness.

* * *

 **A/N - Told you I'd post it either late this week or early next week :D**

 **Do you think I should do Sonic and Lancelot again some time? Obviously where he's not dead. What do you guys think? I mean, we already have two types of Sonadow established, by Modern/Main Canon Sonadow and Sonic Boom Sonadow. What about Soncelot? Is that a thing? I just made it up like right now, this very second. Lemme know what you think, if you want to see more Soncelot, just let me know.**

 **So next chapter is pretty light hearted. It's got something I haven't done before. Writing wise and real life wise. I'm not going spoil it though, but it's not sex. My mind immediately went into the gutter when reading my own sentence. Good job, me.**

 **Also, I thought I might ask you a little question in every chapter from now on to, y'know, interact with you a bit more, despite the fact that I PM most of my reviewers, but still. And you could leave an answer along with your review of the chapter. I mean, it's an idea, and I suppose we'll see how it goes.**

 **Question of the day/chapter - what is your favourite(s) chapter so far and why? You can have more than one.**

 **I then might leave my own personal favourite(s) in the next chapter.**

 **So, aside from that question, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I made sure that Lancelot's language was a lot different to Shadow's. Let me know what you thought of this one and what you think of my first (well, not really first, I wrote another before but deleted it, if you remember/have been reading for that long. If you have, then thanks for sticking around! I really appericate it) Sonic and Lancelot chapter.**

 **I'll see you soon. Probably next week. I look forward to reading what you thought of the chapter and your answers! See you later!**

 **EDIT: So, some people are confused by Sonic's feelings for Lancelot, so here's what I told Tirainy which shows my initial plan:**

 **'Okay, so my reasoning for Sonic to stick around in Camelot is that he feels like he owes everyone there something, like he still has to change some things and make an impact. He wants to go back to Shadow, but he doesn't want to let this experience go to waste without at least helping some people. One of the people he wants to help most is Lancelot, as he can see that he still has the same ideas that he had when the Black Knight or King Arthur was still around.**

 **As for his feelings, I wrote this chapter very disjointed, like it was written out of order almost entirely so I think some of it might be trying to tell one story and another part is trying to tell another story. So that is my fault, and I apologise for not making it as clear as I should. You have a right to be confused.**

 **BUT, I can tell you what my main idea was going into this was about their relationship. Basically, yes, Sonic does see Lancelot as a substitute to Shadow. He likes the idea of himself loving Lancelot for who he is, when deep down he can't deny that he wouldn't have fallen for Lancelot is hadn't looked like Shadow. Which is a very dark way for me to put it, as Sonic let Lancelot think that he loved him for who he was, which he did, in way. It's almost like he was using him, even if Sonic didn't mean to. His intentions weren't malicious, that's for certain.**

 **The original idea that was scrapped was that Sonic and Shadow were going through a rough patch in their relationship, leading to Sonic making the Camelot and Lancelot thing to become a sort of escape for him** **.'**

 **Hope that clears everything up. Sorry about the confusion everyone.**


	23. Chapter 23

Shadow stood in front of a mirror in his room, buttoning up his suit and putting on his tie. He'd never worn a suit before. He'd never even worn pants before. Surprisingly, though, the suit was rather easy to put on. He studied his reflection, only to notice that the door was slightly open, with Sonic's head wrapped round it and peaking into the room. "Sonic, I can see you." He addressed him.

Sonic opened the door fully and walked into the room, whilst adoring a suit just like Shadow's. He stood behind Shadow and began kissing him on the neck. Shadow couldn't help but chuckle as Sonic moved up his neck and kissed his cheek. "You look great." Sonic complimented him after he had finished showing his affection.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." Shadow replied with a smirk.

"Looks like we really were made for each other, judging by the fact that we bought the same suit." Sonic commented. "I always knew we had similar tastes."

"You know you're not supposed to see me until tomorrow." Shadow responded, turning to look at Sonic instead of his reflection.

"I know, but I just couldn't help myself."

"I thought you were meeting up with Tails and Knuckles. You're not keeping them waiting, are you?" He questioned.

"No, they're not even here yet. But I'll be staying over at Tails' place tonight, so you'll have the whole apartment to yourself, that'll give you a bit of peace and quiet before our big day."

"Huh, tomorrow could not come any sooner. It feels like it's a lifetime away." Shadow murmured.

"I can't wait either, but don't wish today away. Before you know it, we'll have rings on our fingers and we'll be happily married. It's just another step in the adventure of lives." Sonic told him.

"Don't get all philosophical with me. That's my job."

Sonic grinned. "Look at us. Like two peas in a pod. We've come so far." He said, looking at himself and Shadow in the mirror "I never thought I'd be marrying a faker." He added, firing a smug glare at Shadow.

"Faker?"

Sonic chuckled "You say it exactly the same way as you did back when we first met." He commented.

"Some things never change."

"Especially you, grandpa baby." Sonic teased.

The sound of a car horn cut off their conversation. "Well, that's my ride, I better get going." He stated. He then kissed Shadow on the cheek. "Have fun at your stag do and I'll see you tomorrow at the altar. Don't do anything too reckless before your big day."

"I should be telling you that." Shadow responded.

Sonic smiled "See you later. And remember to enjoy yourself!" And with that, he sped out of the room.

Shadow turned back to his reflection and straightened his tie, just to make sure that it was on properly, before following Sonic's lead and exiting the room.

As he made his way over to the apartment door, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous, not just about the stag do, since the planning had been left up to the people he was celebrating with, but his and Sonic's big day.

He knew he shouldn't worry, after all, tonight was supposed to be a night of partying and drinking, and just letting go of all his worries or cares.

A group of friends, a party and a lot of drinks. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

Shadow stood outside of the apartment building in the bitter cold with his arms folded.

He had waved Sonic off only mere moments earlier as he had driven off with Tails and Knuckles to celebrate his own stag do. He had looked so happy, his eyes full to the brim with excitement and wonder.

But now Shadow was alone with only the cold night air to keep him company as he waited for his own entourage to arrive.

He and Sonic had divided up their male friends as equally as they could between them. Now he just needed to see if his own combination of friends could give him a good time. He was sure that Tails and Knuckles had planned something really special for Sonic.

"Hey Shadow!" Vector greeted, approaching the black and red hedgehog from behind. The crocodile wrapped his arm around his neck and gave him a noogie. Shadow wasn't very impressed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, the taxi driver was really slow getting here." He apologised. "Still, are you ready to have the time of your life?!"

"I guess." Shadow mumbled.

"You sure sound like it." Vector responded sarcastically.

The taxi driver honked his horn at them. "Oh come on, you drive here slow but you get impatient with us having a little chat?!" Vector yelled angrily, shaking his fast at the cab driver. He then turned to face Shadow once again "We better get going before he drives off without us." He said, gesturing at the cab with his thumb.

Shadow and Vector walked across the road, with Shadow keeping his hands in his pockets. Vector opened the cab door for him. "Come on, Shadow, turn that frown upside down!" Vector told him. "It'll be fun, you'll see."

"If you say so." Shadow replied as he climbed into the taxi. Vector climbed in after him and closed the door behind himself.

The taxi was a little bit small for Vector, making it so that his head was pressed up against the roof and that he was squished up against Shadow, making the cramped space even more cramped than it needed to be.

Shadow tried to distance himself from Vector as much as the space allowed him. Leaning on the door, he rested his elbow on the window frame, and put his head in his palm.

"Alright, so we're off to a bad start, but it'll get way better, you'll see. This'll be the best stag do you've ever been to."

"It's the only stag do I've been to." Shadow responded, staring out of the window at the passing traffic.

"That's why it's the best!" Vector exclaimed.

 _And possibly the worst._ Shadow thought to himself.

* * *

The taxi stopped and Shadow and Vector got out. "Surprise! Welcome to your venue!" Vector said, throwing his arms up in the air as if it was some grand unveiling.

"You've brought me to a bar?" Shadow questioned looking up at the establishment, with it's neon sign and pictures of drinks.

"Yeah, I booked the place for tonight, so only you and I, and the rest of the gang, are allowed in. We have the whole place to ourselves." Vector told him.

"Wow, thank you Vector, it was nice of you to organise this." Shadow replied gratefully.

"Glad you like it, cause I can tell you, it wasn't cheap, I blew most of my rent money on the place."

"I'm sure you'll be able to raise more funds, you always do."

"Heh, that's true. Anyway, we should get inside, they'll be waiting for us." Vector stated, opening the door to the bar and allowing Shadow inside. Once there, they were greeted by the rest of the group.

"Hey, Shadow, good to see you." Silver addressed him with a bright beaming smile on his face.

"Hello, Silver, I didn't know you were going to be here."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm really glad you and Sonic are finally tying the knot, I was worried that you never would." Silver replied.

"Yeah, we weren't sure if Sonic would ever pop the question." Vector chipped in.

"Wait, you all knew?" Shadow asked.

"Of course we did. Once Sonic told us, we were the ones constantly egging him on. He was just afraid that you'd say no, and for a while he even expected that you would." Vector answered him.

"I guess I surprised him."

"You sure did."

"Hey Shadow!" Charmy greeted, buzzing over to them.

"Hello, Charmy." Shadow responded. "Aren't you still a little young to be drinking?" He then asked.

"Aren't you? I mean, you never age, you look exactly the same as you did when we first met, and that was years ago." Charmy replied.

"Well, technically I am over fifty years old."

"Oh, well, I guess it's better late than never to get married." Charmy said, laughing awkwardly. "Uh, I'm going to go play on the arcade machine, see you around." He added, quickly flying off to the other side of the room.

Shadow glanced over at the bar, only to notice Omega standing beside it. "Omega? He's here too?" He questioned, hurrying over to his robot companion. As he approached, he couldn't help but notice that the bartender, who was cleaning a glass, looked a little unnerved by the blank expression that Omega was giving him. Perhaps he didn't like robots.

Shadow patted Omega on the back to get his attention. "Hey Omega, I'm glad to see you here, I didn't think you'd come to a venue like this, since you can't really drink."

Omega rotated his upper body to face him "Fear not Shadow, for I have a software that can simulate the affects of alcohol. However, I need to download and install it first." He told him in his usual robotic voice.

"Good to hear it. I um... I hope you find the experience... Intriguing." He replied, struggling to find the right words.

"The results will be fascinating."

"Shadow!" He heard someone call his name. He turned around to see Vector sitting at a far table, beckoning him over with a wave of his hand.

"I'll talk to you later, Omega." Shadow told him, before leaving him to it.

"Downloading drunk software..." He heard Omega state aloud as he walked off.

Shadow arrived at Vector's table. "So what did you want?" He asked.

The crocodile quickly got up and moved over to Shadow and wrapped his arm around him, as if he was taking him under his wing. "Shadow, I was think we could get this party started off with a bang."

"What did you have in mind?" Shadow quizzed, taking hold of Vector's arm and moving it off of him.

"I thought we could have a little competition. I'd like to challenge you to a drink off. We'll both take shots. The loser is the first one to forfeit or pass out, and has to give the winner 50 bucks." Vector told him, explaining the rules.

"50 bucks?"

"What's the matter? Are you afraid of losing?" Vector questioned teasingly.

"No." Shadow replied.

"Are you afraid of getting a little drunk? Are you a chicken disguised as a hedgehog?" He continued. He then began to make clucking noises in order to mock him. He even started doing the motions, flapping his arms and pecking thin air.

"Fine, I accept your challenge, but don't blame me when you lose more of your rent money." Shadow replied smugly.

"Confident, huh? Let's see how far that gets you." Vector responded. "Charmy!" He yelled.

The bee turned his attention off of the arcade game he was playing to look at Vector. "What is it?"

"Get the bartender to bring as many shots as he can fit on this table." He ordered. "I have a competition to win."

The two sat down on opposite sides of the table and waited. A few minutes later, Charmy returned along with bartender, who had two large trays of vodka shots. He then disappeared behind the bar and returned with two more trays of shots. The table was full right to the edges at this point.

"Prepare to lose, Vector." Shadow taunted as he picked up one of the many shot glasses.

"We'll see about that."

"May the best man- I mean, hedgehog or crocodile win!" Charmy exclaimed.

Shadow downed his first glass, and the kick that the vodka gave his throat made him immediately regret his decision. He looked over the vast table of shots, knowing that was at least twenty all together. His stomach churned, just looking at them made he feel woozy.

He hesitated before picking up his second glass. It was going to be a long night.

 **9 shots each later...**

Vector had his head rested on the table with his eyes closed. He was currently rubbing his stomach and groaning. Shadow sat opposite him, looking completely out of it. His tie had been undone, and was now hanging loosely around his neck. His black suit jacket had been removed and white shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing his white chest fur.

Shadow picked up his tenth glass and downed it as quickly as he could. He then placed it upside down on the table. "*hic* Beat that." He slurred.

"No, I can't... drink anymore. How- how do you do that? I don't get it..." Vector clutched his stomach. "Urgh, I feel sick." He moaned. "You win, Shadow." He told him.

"Hehe, I knew I could *hic* beat yerrrrrrr."

"I don't have any money on me right now, I'll have to give it to you another time."

"Wait-wait-wait, wat are yer talkin' about?" Shadow asked, seemingly forgotten their agreement.

"Um... Nothing. Nothing important. Don't worry about it." Vector lied, taking advantage of Shadow's memory loss.

"Alright. I'mma go git another drink." He stated, getting out of his chair. He swayed for a brief moment, before putting a hand on the table to maintain his balance.

Vector stood up. "Shadow, I don't think that's a good idea, you've already had a lot to drink. Maybe you should lay off the booze now." He suggested.

"You can't tell me what to do. You're not the friggin' boss of me! I am the Ultimate Lifeform, and the Ultimate Drink-er!" He yelled, spitting all over Vector.

"Alright, alright, you can have another drink, just stop yelling at me." Vector replied, wiping the spit off his face.

Shadow staggered over to the bar. Omega was lying face down on the floor, completely passed out, or shut down, or something. His drunk software must have finally installed. Silver was also beside the bar, although he seemed to be sober. Anyone was sober compared to Shadow. He was absolutely smashed.

"Hey Silverrrrr, fancy meetin' you here." He greeted.

"Um, I've been here the whole time, Shadow." Silver responded.

Shadow pulled up a chair next to him and wrapped his arm around Silver, pulling him close. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." He mumbled. "Bartender! Get me a beer in the biggest glass you have" He ordered. "And get somethin' for him too." He added, pointing at Silver.

"Um, Shadow, are you sure you should be drinking? I mean, you're pretty drunk already."

"Sssh" Shadow shushed him, placing a finger on his lips. "Stop talkin', you'll make me laugh. Your voice, it's so silly." He giggled. "It's so whiny and squeaky."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Shadow was wheezing with laughter. "Stop. Stop. Stoppppppp. I can't take it."

The bartender placed a beer in front of him and fired Shadow a look that said 'I probably shouldn't be giving this to you.'

Shadow picked up the beer and began to chug it. After several gulps, he put it down on the bar. "Silver, has anyone..." He stopped, losing his train of thought, whilst drool oozed from his mouth. "Has anyone ever told ya how stupid ya look?" He asked, chugging his beer again. "I mean, your face, your quills, it looks like you have a big friggin' hand on your head." He said chuckling lightly. He then finished off his beer, whilst tightening his grip around Silver.

"'Nother drink please, bartender!"

"Shadow, you're starting to hurt me a little." Silver told him.

"Be quiet, I'm not done talkin' yet."

Vector had been watching from afar for sometime, and decided that he'd seen enough, and proceeded to pull out a phone. After a few seconds of ringing, the person on the other end answered.

"Yo, Vector, wassup?" Sonic greeted.

"Hey Sonic, I think you need to get over here." Vector responded, staring at Shadow as he went on another spiel with Silver. "Shadow is a bit drunk." He told him. 'A bit' being an understatement.

"How drunk?" Sonic questioned. He sounded serious.

"It's hard to explain. You'll have to see it to believe it."

Sonic sighed "I'm on my way." He declared, turning off his phone.

Vector turned off his own and tucked it away. All of a sudden, the door to the bar burst open and Sonic came rushing inside.

"Wow, that was fast." Vector commented.

Sonic raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you really just say that?" He questioned. He was the fastest thing alive after all. It was to be expected.

"Oh, yeah, right."

"Where is he?" Sonic asked, glancing around.

"Over by the bar." Vector replied, pointing at him. "He's had ten shots and at least two beers. I tried to stop him, but he just wouldn't listen. I was getting a little worried, that's why I called." He informed him. "Plus I think he might be strangling Silver at this point."

"I'll go talk to him." He stated, proceeding to walk over.

"I don't think it was such a good idea to have unlimited amount of drinks all to ourselves." Vector muttered.

Sonic paused to look back at him "You think?" He questioned, before continuing with what he was doing.

Charmy flew over to Vector, his wings barely able to hold him up as he body sagged "Vector, I think I drank too much of the bad juice."

"Gosh darn it, Charmy, I told you not to touch it!"

Sonic stood behind Shadow, listening to his one-way conversation with Silver. "Hey Silver, do uh- do you remember *hic* that one time where I kicked you in the back of the head?"

"Um... No."

"Me neither. But from that moment on, we were best friends forever!" He exclaimed, raising his glass and spilling some of his beer.

Sonic placed his hand on Shadow's back. "Hey Shadow." He greeted calmly, moving to the side of him.

"Oh hey Sonic. Me and Silver here were just chattin' about old times, right Silver?" Shadow said, slapping Silver on the back, winding him slightly.

"Sonic, please help me." Silver whispered.

"Shadow, I think Silver has had enough for one day. Maybe you should just leave him be." He suggested.

"Yeah, you're right. Go on, Silver, get outta here, me and my ol' buddy Sonic have got some catching up to do." He stated, pushing Silver aside. The grey hedgehog fell on the floor, but made no move to get back up. Shadow then turned to Sonic and took his hand. "Come on, take a seat." He told him, practically making him sit on the stool. "Bartender! Get this man a drink!" He ordered. "And I'll have a refill." He added.

The bartender arrived back with a drink for Sonic and another beer for Shadow, who immediately started drinking it. "You know what, I was thinkin'. Since we're gettin' married, then which one of us is the female? Cause I don't think it's me." He slurred utter nonsense.

"Woah, you are wasted." Sonic commented. He couldn't stop himself from laughing.

"Hey, I'm still talkin', so shut your mouth. Honestly, so rude." Shadow grumbled. "Anyway, I think you're the female in this relationship." Shadow stated, gesturing at him with his beer.

"Shadow, neither of us have to be 'female'." Sonic informed him.

"Oh." Shadow responded simply, and continued to drink his beer. "Do you think I should invite that old man with the grey moustache to the wedding? Or maybe the black floating starfish? I mean, they're both my dad, maybe one of them could give me away?" He wondered. Sonic marvelled at the fact that Shadow was believing every word that was coming out of his own mouth. It's amazing what alcohol does to a person.

"I don't think they'll be able to make it." Sonic told him. Since both of them were dead.

"What about my brother, y'know, the big lizard?"

"I don't think he'll be able to make it either." He was dead too.

"Well, maybe we could go to that big space station in the sky for our honeymoon." Shadow suggested.

"We can't go to the ARK for our honeymoon, we already agreed that we'd be going to Hawaii."

"We should go there some other time, maybe pop by and see-" Shadow stopped himself, and the stupid grin on his face dropped. "Maria!" He cried, slamming his face on the bar and spilling his drink. He began to sob, while banging his fist on the bar. "Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa." He weeped, his voice wavering off as he sobbed.

Sonic rubbed his back comfortingly. "Bartender, do you have any water or tea at all?" He asked.

The bartender simply shook his head in response.

Sonic patted Shadow gently "Come on, buddy, let's take you home."

He got Shadow to put one arm around his shoulders and began to help him walk out of the bar. "I'm taking him home." He announced.

"Do you think he'll be alright for tomorrow?" Vector asked as Sonic was about to leave.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's Shadow, he can handle anything." He replied. He then turned his attention to everyone else. "Enjoy the rest of your night and I'll see you tomorrow." He said, before leaving the building along with a still drunk Shadow.

"Huh, this party was ruined even before I could launch an attack." Eggman commented, who had showed up out of nowhere and was sitting at one of the tables.

"EGGMAN?!" Vector exclaimed.

Sonic could hear the sounds of a struggle or fight going on from outside, but he chose to ignore it. He just wanted to get Shadow home.

"Iloveyouman." Shadow said out of no where, though his words were hard to depict.

Sonic chuckled "I know you're drunk, but I'm sure you'd say something like that when you're sober so... I love you too."

"Givesus a kiss."

Sonic laughed. "No way, your breath stinks."

* * *

Shadow woke up with the sun shining on him through the window. He lifted his head, only to be met by an awful headache. His head flopped back onto the pillow and he lay there for several minutes.

He then lifted his head once again and glanced around, noticing that he was tucked up in bed. Not only that, but he was undressed too. The most important thing worth mentioning was the tray and note left on his bedside table.

Shadow proceeded to lean over and pick up the note, and began to read it.

"Morning sleepy head,

I know I said I'd stay over at Tails', but I couldn't just leave you in the state that you were in. You were out like a light as soon as you laid down, but I was worried you might get out of bed in the middle of the night and do something stupid. Luckily you didn't, that made my job a lot easier.

I'm sure you probably have a headache right now. No need to worry though, Sonic's here to the rescue! I got you some water and tea, and some aspirin, depending on how bad it is. That should do the trick and clear your headache up in no time.

I also made you breakfast. Hope you like it."

Shadow paused from reading to look at the plate on the tray. It was a smiley face made out of two fried eggs for eyes, a long piece of bacon in the shape of a mouth, beans for hair, and some toast for ears. Shadow smiled back at the smiling dish.

"I assume you're still up for today. You won't let a hangover stop you, will you?

Of course not, you're Shadow the Hedgehog!

Enjoy your breakfast and I'll see you in a few hours. I can't wait to finally marry you!

Love Sonic x"

Shadow put the note down and sat up in bed. He then picked up the tray and placed it on his lap. He didn't need to worry about today, he was sure of it now. After all, he didn't really remember what had happened the night before, but he knew that Sonic would always look out for him, as this breakfast proved it. Shadow would always look out for Sonic. They'd take take care of one another.

* * *

 **A/N - Yo**.

 **Last chapter confused some reviewers, people were unsure about Sonic's motives for staying in Camelot and his feelings towards Lancelot. Lucky for you, I added in a full description after reading reviews, which you can find in my previous author's note. Hopefully that should clear everything up and the next Soncelot will be linked to the last chapter in a way, but Lance won't be dead. That chapter will explain it better. My apologies for not making it clear as I should've, even though I understood it I shouldn't have expected everyone else to.**

 **Moving on, this is the first time I've ever wrote a drunk character. I did a little research before hand, looking at drunk dialogue and how many shots you take before you get drunk. I don't know how it works for anthromorphic hedgehogs but I assume it works in similar ways. I also made an assumption that Vector couldn't get drunk as easily as Shadow, but it made him sick (Vector not getting wasted was really just for the sake of the plot, but that's just between you and me.) You see, I've never drank alcomol (yes, I intended to spell it like that) before, let alone gotten drunk. I've never seen anyone get drunk (you can tell I don't get out much.) so I didn't have any first hand experience going into this, except for the media and all that.**

 **I don't condone the overuse of alcomol by the way, especially anyone underage. I personally can't stand the stuff. Give me a glass of lemonade any day. But this chapter was all in good fun, cause, y'know, comedy.**

 **So, aside from this chapter, I have an announcement to make.**

 **The Sondow shorts will be ending at chapter 35. I've decided to put these shorts on a hiatus so that I can work on other writing projects.**

 **You probably have some questions so I'll answer some that I assume you'll ask.**

 **Will the hiatus be forever? Possibly. I honestly don't know yet, but I may come back to these some day.**

 **What other projects do you want to work on? Well, there's a Sonic game in story form that I've been planning for a while. The Sonadow shorts started out as a little thing to do whilst planning out the Sonic story, since I wasn't writing anything else at the time, but then they turned into a distraction. But that doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed doing them.**

 **Why are you stopping? Because I feel like I've done enough for now. I'm starting to run out of ideas. I knew I couldn't make these last forever and I never intended for them to. I have to move on eventually and do other things.**

 **Will you ever do Sonadow again? Yeah, I might actually do an actual story with linking chapters.**

 **That's all the questions I can think of. If you have any that I didn't address then PM me or leave it in a review.**

 **So what can you expect from the next 12 chapters? Well, they'll be one more Sonic Boom chapter, and another Sonic and Lancelot, as I mentioned earlier. The rest will be modern/main canon Sonadow. Chapter 35 will be a special finale chapter. I don't know how long it will be but I have the plot planned out. I don't want to spoil it, but I'll just let you know that it will bring together every version of Sonadow from the previous chapters. So Sonic, Shadow, Boom Sonic, Boom Shadow, Lancelot, and Classic Sonic. They'll all be in the finale. These shorts will be ending on a high note, I can promise you that.**

 **I'll keep you posted on the whole thing.**

 **So, as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and you can let me know what you thought in the reviews. If you have any questions, whether it be the next 12 chapters, or the finale, or anything else that comes to mind, then just ask.**

 **I'll see you all in the next chapter, which is set after Sonic and Shadow's wedding. I can't wait to show you the chapters I have planned for you all.**


	24. Chapter 24

Sonic awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of the waves outside. He stared at the green, bamboo wall, blinking a couple of times. He wasn't sure why he had woken up, but he simply chose to ignore it. He closed his eyes and rolled over, intending on cuddling his partner - now husband - Shadow.

His hand touched an empty space. Sonic opened his eyes once again, noticing that the sheets on Shadow's side of the bed had been peeled back.

He sat up and glanced around the room, unable to see Shadow anywhere. Perhaps he had gone for a walk? Even still, he wanted to check up on him, just in case. He climbed out of bed and slipped on his shoes, and left the shack.

He didn't have to go very far. As soon as he got outside he saw Shadow standing on the shoreline and staring out to sea. As Sonic approached him, he couldn't help but take in the scenery. The palm trees and their large green leaves were blowing gently in the breeze. The moon was high in the clear, inky black, star-filled, night sky, it's bright, silver glow reflecting off the rippling waves as the foamy white froth came breaking onto the golden, sandy beach.

Sonic paused behind Shadow and studied him closely. He seemed to be deep in thought and was completely oblivious to his surroundings, judging by the fact that he was allowing the water to wash over his shoes.

A small part of him didn't want to disturb him, but a large part of him was worried and wanted to speak up. Was something wrong?

Sonic called out to him. "Hey Shadow."

It didn't register at first, but Shadow noticed his presence mere moments later and turned to face him. "Oh, hello Sonic. I didn't know you were up." He responded. "Sorry if I disturbed you."

"It's okay, you didn't disturb me at all." Sonic told him. "But what are you doing out here?" He asked.

"I was just... thinking." Shadow replied, glancing over his shoulder at the waves.

"About what?" Sonic pried.

"Everything." He said simply. "I just... I never thought we'd get to this point." He added, fiddling with his wedding ring by twisting it on his finger.

"I know how you feel, it took forever to find this spot for our holiday, and that flight was such a drag." Sonic replied, smiling at him.

"No, I don't mean the honeymoon, I mean..." He trailed off. Shadow turned around to look at the vast, blue ocean. "I never thought we'd get married." He finally stated.

Sonic didn't say anything. Instead, he walked up to Shadow and stood alongside him. He wanted to listen to whatever he had to say.

"I never intended on being with anyone. When I first met you, I didn't think I'd fall for you. I mean, you, of all people, my rival. But when we first got to together, I didn't think I'd ever get to this point, and yet here we are. I didn't think I'd let myself get wrapped up so much in your life that I would eventually become apart of it." He paused, glancing at Sonic, and the blue hedgehog returned his gaze. "But I'm glad I did."

Shadow glanced back at the horizon. "I remember when Eggman woke me up from that endless sleep. I left that GUN base, and I was greeted by a whole new world. I got to feel the warmth of the sunlight on my fur and touch the grass, instead of simply observing the planet from space. And in that moment, I realised why Maria loved this place so much." He paused once again, and closed his eyes. His own words pained him. "I wish she could've been here. I wish she could've seen how happy you make me. You are the only one that could ever make me smile other than her. She would've loved you."

"When I lived up on the ARK with Maria, I would look at the Earth through a window and listen to Maria's stories about it. I didn't think I'd ever be able to come here and experience it all for myself. After Maria died, I never thought that I'd be able to live without her..." Shadow stopped, turning to look at Sonic. His gaze remained fixated on him this time. "But then you came into my life and I learned how to live again. To love." He said, giving him a small smile. "I was still learning about this world, and you helped me. You showed me so many things, and introduced me to so many people. I have to thank you for that."

"You always say that life is one big adventure. At first, I didn't understand, but now I do. Every step we take is apart of the journey which is our lives. And I like to think that us getting married is just the beginning." He stated, continuing to fiddle with his ring. "I'm glad I got to go on this adventure with you, and I hope it never stops... And, I want you to know that I am truly grateful for the joy you brought into my life. I don't think I could've gotten this far without you." Shadow finished.

Sonic smiled warmly "Well, that goes both ways, Shadow." He replied. "To tell you the truth, I didn't think we'd get to this point either. When we first got together, I thought you'd eventually grow tired of me. But then I realised how dedicated you really were to our relationship. And now we're here, tied together by these rings." He said, looking down at his own ring. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Shadow looked at the shack and then at the surrounding area "What would I give for a view like this... To see the sun rising over an ocean of blue every day." Shadow muttered. "We should go on more adventures. Why should we settle down in some tiny flat like every other couple out there when we can go and do so much more?" He questioned. There was a moment of silence as he was thinking. "We should go and see the world." Shadow suggested.

"I've already done that, but I'd love to do it with you. Now that we've tied the knot, there's nothing more left to do. We can go anywhere and do anything, nothing is stopping us. Except for, y'know, deciding where to go, obviously."

"I say we just pick a direction to run in and never look back." Shadow replied.

Sonic smirked "I like the way you're thinking, though you'll have to try and keep up with me." He teased, whilst grinning and pointing at himself with his thumb.

"No, you'll have to keep up with me." Shadow retorted, also gesturing at himself.

"Oh yeah?" Sonic questioned, leaning in closer.

"Yeah!" Shadow exclaimed, leaning towards Sonic. Their noses touched.

Sonic chuckled. He and Shadow embraced one another and stared at the sea, just enjoying the view and each other's warmth and company. "Just imagine all the adventures that are on their way." Sonic spoke up.

"I can't wait to start."

A bright orange glow tinted the edges of the dark sky. Dawn was approaching and bringing about a new day. With that new day would come another adventure, something that they would both tackle together. Their journey was just getting started. There was a long road ahead, but they would make it through. They would carry each other through difficult times. There was no end to the lengths that they would go to for each other.

Wherever the waves of life took them, if they ever felt like they were drowning, one could always rely on the other to bring them back to the surface. Afterall, they would always be together.

Till death do us part.

* * *

 **A/N - The first short short I've done in a while.**

 **Short but sweet as they say, hehe. This one once supposed to take a week, but I got kind of lazy, and every day I was telling myself "I'll write it tomorrow."**

 **And the next day would come and I'd say "I'll write it tomorrow"**

 **And so on and so fourth. Yesterday I sat down and said "Yep, I should probably start writing now."**

 **Didn't take me very long, so here I am. Sorry about the wait for such a short chapter. I'm not very consistent with my upload schedule. I don't even have a schedule! :P**

 **I got some art made for the avatar image or whatever that comes with the story if you hadn't noticed. I asked a friend (see summary) to make it and when he showed it to me I knew I just had to make it the new image. I love it so much.**

 **So, the Sonadow Shorts reached 10,000 views as of today. WOO HOO! I just want to thank all of you for coming back and reading and reviewing chapters time and time again. I really appericate it.**

 **In other news, the next couple of Modern/Main Canon themed shorts will be based around some of the games. They also won't hint at Sonic and Shadow being married, so in the contiunity it means it takes place years before Sonic proposes or they just don't get married. I like to think that there are several branching timelines that chapters can be linked to. For example, there is a timeline that follows the games, while another timeline follows Sonic and Shadow just trying to settle down with their own house and such. And for Sonic Boom, there's a timeline where Shadow is present in episodes he didn't show up in and it follows that route, and everyone knows about there relationship, while there's another branching timeline where Sonic's friends don't know about their relationship.**

 **I never set it out like that by the way, but that's a way you could link some chapters together if you wanted to find a coherent story. I'm sure there's one in there somewhere!**

 **There is one chapter that will mention there marriage though, but I'm not saying anymore about it because, y'know, spoilers.**

 **I'm really glad you liked the last chapter, it was nice to see it made you laugh. I don't really find my own writing funny, but I had a ball doing it.**

 **I noticed that there wasn't much of a reaction to the fact that I'm putting these on a (possibly) endless hiatus at chapter 35. Perhaps I should have made a separate chapter for it. That is still happening, just so you know. That's the only update I have on the subject at the moment, if you have any questions, just PM me.**

 **Next chapter is an idea that has been sitting on my to-do list for quite some time. It should be longer than this one was.**

 **One more thing, I hope you liked the descriptions I added for the area of Hawaii they were staying at (I've never been to Hawaii myself). I hope it wasn't too close to what Sonic Boom's setting is like. I was worried that would confuse people. I added those descriptions in for world building, plus I don't want to state what is happening all the time through my omniscient narration.**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Hopefully it won't take another week. See you soon.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Ah it is good to be back!**

 **Hey readers! Did you miss me? Admit it, you missed me!**

 **(I may or may not be quoting Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls)**

 **I'll let you know where I've been at the bottom right after you read this chapter I've been writing on and off for 6 weeks. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Shadow was floating on the surface of the water with his head submerged. He could feel the burning sunlight on his exposed back as he stared down into the dark, inky black depths of the bottomless lake.

Sonic was below him, sinking deeper into the water. His arms were outstretched towards Shadow, the look in his eyes showed that he pleading for help. Shadow tried to reach out to him, but he couldn't. He couldn't even move, as if he was frozen in place.

Sonic attempted to cry out, but all that escaped his mouth was an eruption of bubbles. Precious air.

He was drowning.

"Shadow, where are you taking me?" A voice asked.

Shadow quickly glanced behind him, only to realise that he was standing in the middle of a forest, surrounded by large trees and flourishing flowers. Sonic was standing behind him, safe and dry.

"Shadow?" Sonic addressed him again, confused by his prolonged silence and how distant he was being.

He had to stop doing this. He couldn't let his experience get the better of him. He couldn't allow what had happened to overrun his life.

"Sorry, I got a little lost in thought." Shadow apologised.

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Sonic replied, smiling warmly at him. "So where are we going?" He asked.

Shadow took a moment to think. He had been so completely out of it that he had forgotten what he was doing. It was like he had actually been there, in the water, reliving the whole thing. His fur still felt damp and wet, and his lungs felt like he had almost suffocated. Even now, it was almost as if he was still there, floating in the water.

Then it clicked. "Oh yeah, right. Follow me." He said, taking Sonic's hand and leading the way. The two walked a fair distance before the trees eventually parted and they arrived at an open area.

The sweet green grass below their feet had now been replaced by hard, grey stone. There was some vegetation sprouting at the edges, those being bushes with thick, long leaves. A clear, blue, gently flowing river lay before them, with a small, shimmering and sparkling waterfall not that far up stream.

"Why did you bring me here?" Sonic asked, mesmerised by the scene in front of him.

Shadow let go of his hand and walked up to the river. He paused at the bank and turned to face Sonic "I'm going to teach you how to swim." He stated.

Sonic stared at Shadow and then glanced at the water nervously "Um... Look, Shadow, I appreciate the offer but... I think I'll pass." He replied, taking a couple of shaky steps back.

"I'm not offering, I'm telling. You're going to learn how to swim." Shadow told him firmly.

Sonic slowly approached the river and stared down at the water "I don't know, it looks kind of deep."

"It really isn't that deep." Shadow informed him. Sonic wasn't satisfied by Shadow's reassurance and backed away again. Shadow glanced down at the river and sighed "Would it make you feel better if I got in first?" He asked.

Sonic simply nodded in response.

Shadow proceeded to sit down on the river bank and removed his rocket boots. He placed his shoes beside him and then put his feet in the river. He felt the water rushing passed his feet as he lowered himself into it.

The coolness of the river made him shiver. He'd need a minute or two to adjust. Shadow's feet touched the river bed, allowing him to stand up without his head going under, and making it so that the water only reached his chest, just like he had said. He scrunched up his toes, feeling the grains of sand and small pebbles below his feet. After a brief moment of simply messing, he turned his attention back to Sonic. "See? It's not deep."

"I don't know, I don't like how it's nearly up to your head." Sonic pointed out.

"Sonic, it's not going to go over your head, I can promise you that."

Sonic still seemed nervous, but that was understandable.

"How about we take it one step at a time?" Shadow suggested "You can put your feet in first, and then we'll go from there."

Sonic let out a shaky sigh "Okay." He agreed. He sat down on the bank and removed his shoes, and then placed them beside Shadow's. He looked down at the water and prepared to lower his feet into the river. He hesitated for a moment, before lowering them in.

He shivered and immediately pulled them out, and drew his legs close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. "It's cold." He complained childishly.

"It's not that bad." Shadow told him.

"I don't think I can do this." Sonic stated, resting his chin on his knees.

The two fell into silence for a moment, with nothing but the sound of the waterfall to listen to. Shadow lifted his hand and offered it to Sonic "You can do this, I know you can."

Sonic looked at Shadow's hand and put his feet back in the water, shivering once doing so. Shadow moved closer to him, his hand outstretched "I'll be right here beside you. I won't let anything happen." He told him.

"Trust me."

The two stared into each other's eyes. Sonic bit his lip and put his ears back as he lifted his hand and took Shadow's. Their fingers intertwined, and Shadow gently squeezed Sonic's as he helped him into the river.

As soon as Sonic got in, he wrapped himself around Shadow, using him as a floatation device. He was holding onto him for dear life, as if he was in some way threatened.

"Sonic, it's fine." Shadow assured him, prying the blue hedgehog off himself, whilst keeping hold of his hand. "Go on, try and touch the bottom." He encouraged him.

Sonic closed his eyes and held his breath, preparing for the inevitable as he put his feet on the river bed and stood up. He opened one eye, and the other soon followed, as he noticed that he was in fact not underwater, but that most of his upper body was dry. The river really wasn't as deep as he had once thought. He was allowed to breathe again! "Huh, I guess you were right about the depth." Sonic commented.

"Of course, would I ever lie to you?"

"Yes." Sonic responded with a smirk.

"True." Shadow acknowledged his response. He couldn't help but smile. "Well, now that we've finally got you in the water, how about we start your lesson?"

"Yeah, I guess I can't stall you any longer." He mumbled. "So what do you want me to do first?"

"Before you start swimming, I want you to just get used to moving around in the water, so all I need you to do wade about for a bit. It'll help make you feel a little more confident." Shadow explained.

"Okay." Sonic replied simply. "Will you still hold my hand?" He then asked.

"Yes. I'm not going to let go, if that's what you're worried about."

Sonic proceeded to move around Shadow in a circle, whilst Shadow rotated in place in order to maintain his grip on Sonic's hand without getting himself tangled up in his own arm. Sonic continued to move around in a circle at a slow pace so that Shadow wouldn't get dizzy, doing this at least five times before Shadow was satisfied.

"That's enough." Shadow told him, causing Sonic to immediately pause. "Are you feeling better now?"

"A little." Sonic replied.

"How about we try some swimming then? You don't have to learn any strokes, you can just doggy paddle."

"When did you become an expert on swimming?" Sonic quipped.

"Are you ready to try some swimming or not?" Shadow retorted, completely ignoring Sonic's snarky question.

"Yeah, I guess so, as long as you don't leave my side."

"I'm not going to. Once you elevate yourself I'll put my hand on your stomach to keep you afloat." He explained. "Now, just try swimming a little and we'll see where we end up."

Sonic bit his lower lip as he lifted his feet off the river bed. Before he could sink, Shadow placed his hand underneath Sonic's stomach and lifted him up so that his head was fully out of the water. Sonic then began to paddle, moving his arms and legs and managing to cover some distance.

Shadow nodded slowly, impressed by how quickly Sonic was picking this up. "Stop for a minute." He instructed him. "You're doing really well. But I think we can take it one step further."

"In what way?" Sonic quizzed.

"I think you can at least swim from here to the other side of the river."

"With your help though, right?"

"Of course." Shadow reassured him.

"Alright. Let's do it." Sonic agreed, sounding a little more confident.

The two proceeded to make their way from one side of the river channel to the other. Shadow treaded through the water whilst Sonic paddled, being constantly supported by Shadow's hand. Eventually, they reached the other side, with Sonic reaching out and touching the bank as if it were some major accomplishment. In his and Shadow's eyes, it was.

"Nice job, Sonic, you're getting so much better. And to think only a few minutes ago you were really nervous."

"Yeah. I didn't think I'd get the hang of it so easily. It's not as hard as I thought it would be."

"I knew you'd be able to do it eventually." Shadow said. "Now, I don't know about you, but I think you should try doing a few laps of this channel." he suggested.

"I don't know, Shadow, don't you think we've done enough for one day?"

Shadow's expression turned sour "Enough? Enough?! We haven't even started yet. I mean, come on, Sonic, you've only barely started swimming and now you want to stop?"

"Well, maybe I don't want to carry on! Maybe I don't want you to keep pushing me into doing things that I don't want to do!" Sonic exclaimed.

"You have to learn how to swim at some point, Sonic!" Shadow shouted back at him. "You can't keep avoiding it forever!"

"I'll learn to swim when I want to, because I certainly don't want to be taught by you! You can't expect me to learn how to swim in one day!"

"Do you think I want to stand in this freezing cold river?! No! I'm doing this for you, Sonic! I've always had your best interests in mind!"

"Well you have a funny way of showing it! You're not as nearly as caring as you'd like to be! You just come off as a straight up jerk!" Sonic yelled. They were both getting up in each other's faces, so close that their noses were touching as they continued to shout at one another.

"Why won't you let me do this for you?!" Shadow questioned angrily.

"Because you are taking it to far! Not once today have you thought about how I feel, you just think you know what's best for me, but you don't have a clue!"

"What do you want me to, then? Let you drown again?!" Shadow cried, finally reaching boiling point.

The two fell into silence. The angry expression on Shadow's face dropped when the sudden realisation of what he had let slip hit him like a ton of bricks. He had let his anger get the better of him, and now he had really gone and messed everything up.

"Is that what all this is about?" Sonic asked calmly.

Shadow turned his head to the side, unable to look Sonic in the eye. "I- I- I mean-" he was unable to get the words out, unable to explain himself.

Sonic shook his head "I think that's enough for today." He said coldly, wading through the water and climbing out at the bank. He turned away from Shadow and began to fasten his shoes back on.

Shadow glanced down at the water, only to see his distorted reflection staring back up at him. When was the last time he had stopped thinking about the incident that had happened to Sonic?

He hadn't.

And he likely never would stop thinking about it. Not unless... He looked up from his reflection and watched as Sonic got up to leave... Unless he did something about it.

"Sonic, wait!" Shadow called out to him. Sonic paused and slowly turned around to face him as Shadow quickly waded through the water and climbed out. "I'm sorry." He apologised "I just wanted to help you."

Sonic sighed "Do you really think you're the only one who was affected by what happened?" He asked. "I'm afraid that it might end up happening again too. I'm scared of swimming, scared of being submerged, scared of... Well, pretty much everything to do with water." He paused for moment, glancing down at the ground and then looking back at Shadow "I want to learn how to swim, I really do. I want to be able to get into any body of water and not feel like it's going to swallow me up at any moment, but I can't. I'm not ready."

Shadow took hold of Sonic's hand and gripped it tightly. "I'm sorry I pushed you. I wanted you to learn the basics, just in case it ever happens again." He explained, staring at Sonic intensely "I want to protect you, Sonic, but I can't always be there to save you... I can't even imagine what might have happened if I hadn't been there."

Sonic gently wriggled his hand out of Shadow's grip and lifted both of them, and then touched his face, stroking his cheeks soothingly. "But you were there, you saved me." He told him softly. "I'm here, I'm safe."

Sonic's words made Shadow think back to the moment that had been playing on his mind for so long.

 _"SONIC!" Shadow exclaimed as he dove into the lake. He swam down after his companion who was just out of reach. Sonic looked up at him helplessly, his arms outstretched as he pleaded for help._

 _Shadow continued to swim, the water causing his eyes to sting as he went deeper. He reached out to Sonic, and their fingers only briefly touched before Sonic sank further into the inky blackness._

 _Sonic opened his mouth, with an eruption of bubbles flowing out. These precious air bubbles clouded Shadow's sight for a brief moment, but that was too long for him to hesitate. Every second he wasted was more time that Sonic lost._

 _He powered through, swimming as fast as he possibly could. Sonic blinked, his eyelids becoming heavy as he began to lose consciousness, with his lungs filling up with water. Shadow's head was throbbing with pain, and his own lungs were ready to burst after holding his breath for so long._

 _He wasn't going to give up. He had to save him. He wasn't going to let him die. Shadow used the sheer willpower that he had to swim down and grab hold of Sonic. He then quickly turn around and swam back up. He could see the rays of sunlight shining down into the murky depths from above._

 _Shadow broke the surface, gasping for air. His head was swimming in pain as he swam to the edge of the lake and pushed Sonic out of the water. He then heaved himself out and rushed to Sonic's aid._

 _He lowered his head close to Sonic's mouth and listened carefully. He wasn't breathing._

 _Shadow pressed his lips against Sonic's and breathed into his mouth "Come on, Sonic..." He pleaded, whilst applying CPR. "Come on!" He whimpered. He breathed into his mouth once again, and then continued with CPR._

 _Sonic stirred before violently coughing up water. He rolled over, spluttering and coughing, but at the same time wheezing and gasping for air. He then rolled back onto his back and stared up at Shadow, with water dripping off of his fur._

 _"You saved me..." He croaked._

 _Shadow was on the brink of tears as he wrapped his arms around Sonic and hugged him tightly. Sonic embraced him, only for Shadow to pull away and plant a kiss on his lips. The two engaged in this kiss for some time before Sonic had to break away for air. "Shadow, I don't need you to give me the kiss of life anymore." He said, chuckling lightly despite the fact that he had almost perished._

 _"That wasn't the kiss of life..."_

"You're right, I did save you." Shadow responded, snapping back to reality.

"And you shouldn't let what happened cloud your judgement because you are so much better than that. You can get through this, I know you can."

"I don't want to lose you." Shadow confessed.

"You're not going to. I can promise you that." Sonic told him.

The two embraced each other in a hug. Shadow rested his head on Sonic's shoulder and squeezed him tightly, never wanting to let him go. "Don't dwell on what happened, instead, just remember what good came from it. You saved my life, that's all that matters. You didn't fail. I'm still here, and I'm not going anywhere.

"It probably would've been a lot better if you had just talked to me instead of going to all this trouble." Sonic then commented.

"You know me, I'm never the one to take the easy way."

"If something is ever bothering you like that again, just talk to me and I'll help in any way I can. I don't want you to feel like you can't tell me anything, because you can. You don't have to keep it bottled up inside." Sonic told him "We might need to work on your communication skills though."

Shadow chuckled lightly and Sonic did the same. "Y'know, I wouldn't mind if you were my swimming teacher... Just as long as you don't make me do anything too crazy. Maybe we could take it in smaller steps."

"Baby steps." Shadow spoke up. He then pulled out of the hug and took hold of Sonic's hand. "I know just the place." He stated, taking Sonic along for the ride.

Shadow picked up his shoes and lead Sonic further down stream until they eventually reached an area of crystal clear stagnant water. There was a small area of land in the centre, with a large, fully grown willow tree, it's long, dangling branches gently swaying in the breeze, with green leaves flying off on the branches and landing on the water.

"Nice place, huh? We could go in and cool off in the shade." Shadow suggested.

"How deep is it?" Sonic asked after taking in the scenery.

"It'll only go up to your ankles." Shadow answered him.

"Well, in that case..." Sonic trailed off as he quickly knelt down and removed his shoes once again "Let's go paddling!" He exclaimed, running into the water and startling the small fish that had been swimming calmly without a care in the world.

A faint smile emerged on Shadow's face as he followed Sonic into the shallow water. Sonic had gone over to the willow tree and was sitting down on a wooden log in the shade, wriggling his toes and watching as the small, golden scaled fish swam around his feet.

Shadow came and sat down beside him. He watched the fish for a moment, before titling his head back and staring through the branches at the round, orange sun. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth on his fur, whilst letting out a sigh of relief.

"This place is really peaceful." Sonic commented, still playing with the fish "Though I don't think we should have my next lesson outside. I wouldn't mind going to a public pool. They have life guards after all."

Shadow opened his eyes and glanced at Sonic "You could join in with all the little children learning how to swim." He responded. "I could get you some floaties, and a life jacket... And a rubber ring... And a blow up crocodile... And-"

He could go on forever, but unfortunately Sonic cut him off by pushing him over. Shadow landed with a splash, sending a spray of water up into the air. Laying face down in the natural pool, he rolled over and looked at Sonic "What was that for?"

"I thought you needed to loosen up a bit." Sonic replied cheekily, grinning at him.

"Oh really?" Shadow asked, grabbing hold of Sonic and pulling him down into the water. The two began to roll over and over several times, until Sonic got the upper hand and pinned Shadow down.

Shadow stared up at Sonic, the cool water rippling around him and chilling him right to the core. He lifted his hands and placed them on both of Sonic's shoulders, squeezing them tightly "Don't ever scare me like that again." He said, referring to his near death experience.

"I won't." Sonic responded firmly, his gaze fixated on Shadow.

Sonic's words and the look in his eyes was all the assurance he needed. He could rest easy now, knowing that he wouldn't have to worry. Well, he would always worry. He just had one less thing to be concerned about.

The two lay in the stream, allowing the water to soak their fur, while the hot summer sun kept beating down on them. No longer would the memory of the event haunt him. Being there with Sonic in such a tranquil environment made him feel relieved, like all of this had lifted a heavy weight off his shoulders.

He was truly at peace.

* * *

 **Yay swimming. Fun times.**

 **I HAVE RETURNED.**

 **First of all, I'm not dead, so that's always good. Just in case any of you were wondering. I haven't really been anywhere to be honest.**

 **So, let me give you the run down. First week of writing this I started feeling under the weather. After a while I got progressively worse until I could not physically move from my bed. I had a pretty bad fever. So I couldn't write for a while. While I was onto the road to recovery I was viewing houses every other day. I'm moving, you see. Then, school started up again so I had to put this chapter off for a while till eventually I finally finished it after a long time of writing on and off.**

 **And that's basically it.**

 **I never meant for there to be such a big wait so I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. The gap between this chapter and next chapter will be a lot shorter in comparison. Hopefully.**

 **Speaking of next chapter, I'm using the only idea I've ever got a request for. That's right, the baby one. Although, it's not going to be what you might think it will be. It's going to have my own little spin on it. And don't worry there isn't any giving birth stuff.**

 **A friend of mine is doing a reading of one of my chapters to put on YouTube which I think is wicked cool. I'm really looking forward to it.**

 **Anyway, good to see you all again. Hopefully you're still here and haven't given up on me and my inconsistent upload schedule. You won't have to wait long for the next chapter, I'm sure of it.**

 **So leave a review of what you thought of the chapter and blah blah etc. I'd really like to know what you thought of this one.**

 **See you later!**

 **Also I definitely quoted Bill Cipher. I was catching up on Gravity Falls episodes during my 'time off' writing since they take a while to air in the UK.**

 **Remember! Reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye!**

 **Hehe, yeah. See you all soon. And thanks for being patient.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: This chapter is a joke chapter.**

 **Hang on, let me explain.**

 **So, I'm not familiar with the concept of mpreg. Plus I didn't really want to write a chapter about either of these two becoming pregnant. So I decided to parody mpreg instead. This chapter also makes fun of my own format. Like, a lot.**

 **The jokes in this chapter are all fourth wall jokes. I made the characters extremely self aware to the point that they talk to you, the audience, and make fun of me.**

 **I just want you to know that all the jokes in this chapter aren't meant to offend or insult anyone. I cannot wrap my head around the concept of mpreg, but that doesn't mean I don't like it and will go out of my way to insult anyone who writes or enjoys mpreg. If you like mpreg or like writing or doing anything with mpreg, then you do it my friend, I hold nothing against you.**

 **This chapter does poke fun at a few things, but like I said, they're just jokes and I'm not trying to insult anybody. If anything, most of the jokes are making fun of me if it makes you feel any better.**

 **It's very easy for me to make fun of me. So I did.**

 **There is a hint of some social commentary in this, though, and you might be able to guess what it is. It's entirely located in the sections where Sonic and Shadow are talking to Junior. Just a heads up.**

 **I hope you enjoy and hopefully I haven't insulted anybody. I'll see you at the bottom for my authors note.**

* * *

Shadow arrived home after a long, uneventful day at GUN. As he entered the house and closed the front door, he almost immediately noticed something was wrong. Usually Sonic was there to greet him, but he wasn't, in fact he was no where to be seen. Shadow glanced around the downstairs living area, confirming that there was indeed no one there. _That's odd._ Shadow thought to himself. _Sonic's normally home by now._

He decided to call out, just make sure that he was truly alone. "I'm home!" He shouted.

There was the sound of footsteps coming from above, and mere moments later Sonic appeared at the top of the stairs looking rather miserable. "Shadow, thank chaos you're back." The blue hedgehog signed with relief as he made his way down the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Shadow questioned, approaching the stairs and meeting Sonic halfway.

"Junior's locked himself in his room and is refusing to come out." Sonic responded. "I've tried everything, but he won't tell me what's upset him so much. Do you think you could try talking to him?"

"It's worth a shot." Shadow replied, moving passed Sonic and making the climb upstairs. Sonic followed close behind as they both made their way to Junior's room. They paused outside, with Sonic leaning against the wall while Shadow stood directly in front of the door.

Shadow hesitated for a second before lifting his hand and knocking on the bedroom door. "Junior?"

The only response he got was a quiet sob. Shadow exchanged a worried glance with Sonic, and then lowered himself down into a crouch, so that he was level with Junior, or at least he assumed that he and Junior were now at the same height. "Junior, what ever has happened, me and your dad, we want to help you, but we can't if you don't tell us what's wrong."

Junior sniffled softly on the other side of the door.

Shadow sighed and rested his head on the door and closed his eyes, hoping that his son could at least feel his presence in some way even if he wasn't right beside him. "You can't stay in there all day, you know. And even if you do, it won't make it any better." He informed him. "I- we want to help you, Junior, and no matter what it is, we'll try and fix it." He told him comfortingly "Just please come out... Please."

There was a moment of silence. No crying, no sniffing, just silence. But it didn't last long. The sound of a bolt sliding alerted the two adult hedgehogs, causing Shadow to move his head away from the door as it slowly creaked open and Junior peered out into the hallway.

Shadow smiled warmly at the young hedgehog, but received nothing in return except for a blank stare. "You really think you can make it better?" He asked.

"I know we can." Shadow reassured him.

Junior glanced down at the floor, and then back at Shadow. He then looked at Sonic, who had pushed himself off the wall, and was smiling at the child comfortingly. Junior hesitated for a moment before pulling the door open fully and stepping out onto the landing.

The young hedgehog looked like a combination between the two adults. He had Sonic's royal blue fur, and Shadow's red stripes on his short quills and running up his arms and legs. The fur on his chest was pure blue, but thick and rugged. His ebony black nose was dripping with snot, and his gentle, green eyes were red and puffy from all the tears.

Junior shifted on the spot, clenching his hands together as his eyes started to well up with tears once again. He then threw his arms around Shadow and hugged him, causing Shadow to almost fall over, but luckily he managed to maintain his balance. Junior gripped Shadow tightly, burying his face in his white chest fur as he cried.

Sonic knelt down and began to comfort Junior by running his fingers through the child's quills in a fatherly manner. After some time had passed of the two adults simply consoling their distraught son (by that time he had calmed down), Shadow gently pulled away from him but kept hold of his arms and gave them a squeeze.

"What's the matter, Junior?" He dared to ask, though he was fearful that he might set him off again. He would have to pick his words carefully.

Junior let out another sob "The kids at school have been making fun of me." He told him, sniffling sadly.

"What have they been saying?" Sonic piped up, equally concerned as Shadow.

"They keep telling me I'm not normal, that I should have a mum, not two dads. And then they ask me where my mum is or if I even have a mum and-" he paused as he began to sob again, and his sobs turned into hiccups. "And they called me a freak!"

"Oh Junior." Sonic murmured sympathetically.

"Why do people have to be so mean?" Junior whimpered.

"They make fun of what they don't understand but you mustn't let them get to you." Shadow told him wisely. He lifted his hand and proceeded to wipe the snot and tears off of Junior's face.

"Do I have a mum?" Junior quizzed "Where is she?"

Shadow lowered his hand and sighed "It's complicated." He replied simply.

"How was I born if I don't have a mum?" The young hedgehog continued to question.

"It's a long story." He replied, reinforcing his earlier statement.

"But I want to hear it."

"I don't think you do." Sonic commented.

"Why not?" Junior asked childishly.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into and it's best that you don't hear about it. Maybe when you're older, but right now you are far too young."

Junior turned his gaze off of Sonic and looked at Shadow with big, pleading eyes. He just wanted to know where he came from, so that he understood more than the bullies did. He had a right to know. Who was Shadow to deny him that knowledge. He bit his lower lip "I can't say no to that face." The black and red hedgehog stated, rising from his crouched position.

The young hedgehog smiled weakly, thankful that Shadow had agreed to tell him. It was good to see him happy, even if it wasn't much, but it fill Shadow with such joy.

"Shadow he's just a kid, we can't tell him about this yet." Sonic argued.

"I think it's about time he knew how he was born. If he wants to know, then we as his parents are obliged to tell him."

"Yeah, I know that, but what if it makes him feel worse?" Sonic questioned worryingly.

"It won't, I'm sure of it."

"Well, if you're really that sure then okay, let's tell him the story. But you better not hog all the good parts!"

Shadow smirked and Sonic grinned back at him. Despite being parents and role models, they still loved to tease one another. Some things would just never change.

"You're going to tell me how I was born? For real?" Junior quizzed. He sounded excited, and looked a lot more perky. Hopefully by the end of the story all of his troubles would be washed away.

"Yep. Just as long as you promise to keep that cute smile on your face." Sonic replied, tickling his stomach.

Junior giggled "Okay, I promise."

Shadow was glad to hear that. He hated seeing him so sad. "Come on, Junior." He said, taking him by the hand and leading him into the bedroom he had come out of not too long ago. The three sat down on the bed, with Sonic and Shadow on either side of Junior.

"Now..." Shadow began. He quickly glanced at Sonic "You don't mind if I start, do you?"

"No, not at all, go right ahead."

Junior sat silently and patiently, staring at Shadow as he waited for him to fully begin. "It all started not long after our honeymoon..."

* * *

Sonic and Shadow had stopped in Spagonia on their extended honeymoon. They only had a few more places to visit before they would head home to their apartment in Empire City.

Shadow stood in front of a hot dog vendor and was waiting for his order. It was not long before he was served and money was exchanged. With two chilli dogs in each hand, he turned around and walked over to Sonic, who was sitting on a bench and observing some young children playing in the fountain in front of the university.

Shadow offered Sonic his chilli dog, holding it out in front of his face to get his attention as he seemed rather distant. It took a second, but Sonic snapped out of his trance as soon as he caught a whiff of the chilli dog. He glanced up at Shadow as he took it from him. "Thanks." He said gratefully.

Shadow moved aside and sat down beside Sonic, staring at his own chilli dog. He wasn't sure why he had taken the offer of two for the price of one, since he could have easily bought one. He didn't even like chilli dogs. He should've gotten something else.

He glanced over at Sonic, and was unsurprised to find that he had already finished and was licking the sauce off his fingers. Shadow looked back at his own chilli dog and was about to tuck in when Sonic spoke up. "Shadow." He addressed him.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about having kids?" Sonic asked.

Shadow took a moment to think before answering. "No, not really, why?"

"Well, I've been thinking..." He paused, glancing over at the children playing in the fountain "... About how great it would be to have a kid." He finally stated.

Shadow gazed at him, intrigued by this sudden confession. He couldn't help but wonder how long this had been Sonic's mind. It was obvious that he had wanted to bring this up for a while. "It would be like a little me running around... Causing trouble... Keeping me on my toes... I could teach them how to fight Eggman, the little guy or girl would really give him hell. We could do all sorts of things and go on loads of adventures... Man, imagine how great it would be to have a child of our own."

Shadow wasn't sure if Sonic was even talking to him anymore. He was more or less speaking his thoughts aloud at this point and repeating himself. "What are you trying to say?" Shadow questioned.

Sonic turned his head to look at him "Isn't it obvious?"

"You want a child, yeah, I get that, but that's not entirely possible for us, Sonic."

"But it's not impossible." Sonic pointed out. He only got a blank expression in response. He looked down at the pavement and sighed "Yeah, I guess you're right." He muttered.

"I guess you regret marrying me now, huh?" Shadow joked, trying to make light of the situation.

Sonic chuckled, but his laughter soon faded along with the small smile on his face.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" Shadow asked in a serious tone.

"A while before our wedding." Sonic told him honestly.

"And you brought it up now...?"

"I thought now would be a good time." He said with a small shrug.

"Why?"

"I- you know what, nevermind, it doesn't matter. Forget about it." Sonic replied.

"Sonic..."

"Forget about it." Sonic told him, with more force this time as he stared at Shadow momentarily with a strong gaze. He then looked away once again and a long silence washed over the couple. "Are you going to eat that?" Sonic asked, pointing at the chilli dog, and shifting the topic entirely.

Shadow glanced down at the piece of food. He had almost forgotten that he had it. He didn't even give it a second thought and handed it to Sonic. The blue hedgehog took the chilli dog and began to tuck in, trying to distract himself from what had happened prior.

Shadow leaned and rolled his head upwards, staring at the clear, blue sky. Was Sonic serious about wanting a baby? Did he truly want one this badly? And if so, what lengths would Shadow go to to give him that opportunity? The opportunity to be a father.

Shadow touched his stomach. Perhaps the opportunity had already arisen.

* * *

"So why did you want to have me?" Junior asked, looking up at Sonic.

Sonic scratched the back of his head awkwardly and blushed "Well, I- you see-" he stammered.

"He thought it would be cool." Shadow answered for him.

"Hey, not true! I wanted us to raise a child together and be like a proper family." Sonic explained.

"Yes, but that sounds boring coming from you."

Sonic glared at Shadow, but the black and red hedgehog interrupted him before he could speak "Can I continue with the story?"

Sonic folded his arms "Fine."

* * *

 **Several days later...**

"Home sweet home." Sonic murmured as he and Shadow entered the apartment, carrying their very small amount of luggage and dumping it in the living room. "It's good to be back. I mean, going around the world was nice, but there's no place like home." He stated. "Right, Shadow?"

Shadow had disappeared.

"Shadow?"

The black and red hedgehog had gone out onto the balcony and was staring down at the hustle and bustle of the streets below. He began to fiddle with his wedding ring, twisting it on his finger as he became lost in thought.

"Is everything alright, Shadow?" Sonic questioned as he walked onto the balcony.

"Everything is fine." Shadow replied as he turned around and headed back into the apartment. "I'm popping out for a bit." He declared, already making his way out of the front door.

"But we only just got back." Sonic argued.

Shadow frowned. "If you have a problem with me going out, you could just say."

"I don't have a problem with it, I was just hoping that we could relax and... Y'know, spend some time together."

"We've spent enough time together. Anyway, I won't be long."

"Fine, if you insist on leaving me here... Alone." Sonic replied, walking over to the kitchen area "While you're out, do you think you could grab some shopping? The fridge is kind of empty." He said, opening up the aforementioned fridge to find nothing but a single lettuce leaf. What was that even doing in there?

"Sure thing."

"And while you're doing that, I'm going to do some unpacking." He stated, picking up the luggage.

"I'll see you later." Shadow said his goodbyes, and then departed, shutting the apartment door before Sonic could even wave him off.

"Bye..." Sonic muttered quietly. His gaze lingered on the door for a brief moment before he got to work on unpacking.

Shadow had no intention on going shopping. Well, he did, but not right now. He was heading to Tails' workshop, to see if the two-tailed fox was there. He had a something very important to ask him.

Using his speed that could even rival Sonic's, he was able to leave the large city behind and make it to Tails' place within no time at all. He hesitated for a second, before knocking on the front door. He then waited, fiddling with his wedding ring again. There was the sound of movement coming from inside, and only moments later, the door swung open, and Tails appeared, dressed in a white lab coat.

Tails was well on his way towards his young adult years at this point. He was growing at such a rate that he was starting to become taller than Shadow. But Shadow would never change, so there wasn't any way for him to grow and make up for the height difference.

The two-tailed fox smiled in greeting "Hey Shadow, I was wondering when you and Sonic were getting back, I expected you to return over a week ago."

"We got a little sidetracked." Shadow admitted. "May I come in?" He then asked, gesturing inside.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Tails replied, pulling the door wide open and inviting Shadow in.

The workshop was cluttered with tools and bits of machinery, along with many blueprints scattered across the entire room. "Sorry about the mess, I haven't cleaned up in a while." Tails apologised as he made his way through the mine field of unfinished projects and over to his chair and computer.

Shadow moved aside a few blue prints and hoisted himself onto the workbench, declaring that as his seat. "So what can I do for you?" Tails asked.

Shadow instinctively placed his hand on his stomach "I know this may sound like a stupid question but..." He paused for a moment. He couldn't believe what he was about to say, let alone believe that Tails would take him seriously "Do you think it would be possible for a male to get pregnant?"

He was surprised to find that Tails didn't immediately burst out laughing. Instead, the fox kept his cool and even managed to keep a straight face. "Well, the short answer is no, and the long answer is no, because men don't have the same reproductive organs as females." Tails responded. "Why do you ask?"

"What if I told you that I might be pregnant?" Shadow questioned.

"I'd say that is not scientifically possible in any way shape or form." Tails replied. "But since I can tell you're being serious, then I'll ask you one question: how do you know that you're pregnant?"

"I don't know, I just do." Shadow told him with a shrug. "Really it's just convenient for the author that I know, but we won't address that."

"Well, I guess I could do a body scan of you with my portable device and take a quick look..." Tails muttered, standing up and grabbing said device off his desk. "Stand up for me and I'll do a quick scan." He instructed.

Shadow did as he was told and got off the workbench. Tails began to fiddle with the dials on his device as he pointed it at Shadow. "It'll only take a second." He murmured, adjusting the settings a little more. A green light erupted from the device, scanning Shadow from head to toe. "There we go."

Tails turned around and plugged the device into his computer as Shadow sat back down. A minute passed, with Tails typing away at his keyboard and examining the scan that he hadn't even shown Shadow yet. "Incredible..." Tails muttered after that short period of silence, putting a zoomed in image on the computer screen. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but... You are at least a week into pregnancy."

The image on screen showed a small, developing embryo, which Tails had even highlighted with a red circle so that Shadow was looking in the right place. "But... But how is that even possible?" Shadow questioned, completely stunned by the image. Was this real? Was this actually happening? How could it be?

Tails rubbed his chin as he thought "Maybe it has something to do with you being genetically modified, or your alien DNA. Perhaps the male species of the Black Arms could reproduce. If they actually had genders, that is."

"But I've never experienced a 'time of the month', I don't even have female reproductive organs!" Shadow exclaimed. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"I'm just as confused as you are." Tails said. "But this is a miracle, Shadow, no male has ever been able to have a child, and it's unlikely you will ever be able to again. This is a once in a life time opportunity, this is-"

"Everything Sonic has ever wanted." Shadow interrupted him.

"What do you mean?" Tails quizzed.

"Sonic has wanted a child for quite some time now, and he only just sprung the idea on me recently." Shadow paused for a moment "But how could this child possibly develop? I don't have a womb, I cannot provide for it like an actual mother could..." He sighed, clutching his stomach "If push comes to shove, do you think you could...?" He didn't even want to say it. "I just don't want it to suffer."

Tails touched Shadow's arm comfortingly "Shadow, if you were able to even conceive a child, then I'm certain that it will be able to develop enough for you to eventually give birth to it."

"You really think so?" Shadow questioned.

"Not really, I mean, most of this is beyond me, but I'd say that I'm at least fifty percent certain." Tails replied. "I think you need to go and talk it over with Sonic, figure out what you and him want to do about it." He paused, looking at the grimace on Shadow's face. "He doesn't even know you're here, does he? He doesn't have a clue about any of this?"

Shadow shook his head "No. Not yet, anyway."

"Well, I think it's time you told him." Tails said with a small smile. His smile faded as he addressed the underlying issue "And if it comes down to it, then yes, I probably could terminate the baby."

Tails removed his hand from Shadow's arm and turned back to his computer "But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just talk it over with Sonic first and let me know when you come to a decision."

"Thank you for your help, Tails." Shadow said gratefully.

"No problem, you couldn't exactly go to an actual hospital about this sort of thing."

Before Shadow left, he turned back to the two-tailed fox for one last thing "Could I take a picture with me?" He requested.

"Oh yeah, of course." Tails replied, quickly sending the scan off to print. It only took a second, and Tails picked up the image and handed it to Shadow "If you're not sure what to say, just tell him what I told you." He advised. "I hope it goes well." He then added.

Shadow turned away and made his way towards the front door. "Me too." He murmured quietly, clutching the picture close to his chest.

* * *

"Wait, so Daddy Shadow was the one that had me?" Junior asked, interrupting the story. "I never actually had a mum?"

"Nope. It was always just me and your dad." Sonic told him, touching Shadow's hand.

"So Daddy Shadow is actually Mummy Shadow?"

"Well... In a way... I guess." Sonic replied, scratching the back of his head.

"Please don't ever call me that." Shadow groaned.

"You're the one who insisted on telling him the story, you only have yourself to blame." Sonic commented.

Shadow glared at Sonic, causing the blue hedgehog to hold his tongue. Shadow's gaze softened as he turned to look a Junior "Do you want to hear the rest of the story or is that all you need to here?"

"I want to hear the rest." Junior stated.

"Are you sure?" Sonic questioned.

"Yeah, why, what happens next?" Junior wondered, confused by how much the adults were questioning him.

"It's just there is some quite heavy and revealing stuff coming next." Shadow explained.

"That makes me want to hear it even more." Junior admitted.

"Well, luckily for you the story we're telling you is really toned down compared to what the audience is reading."

"Yeah, you guys didn't actually think we were telling Junior all this stuff, did you?" Sonic asked, chuckling lightly. Yes, he is talking to you. "That would be ridiculous!"

Junior looked at the two adults completely bewildered. "Who are you even talking to?"

"Don't worry about it, Junior, it doesn't matter." Sonic told him.

"Can I continue with the story now?" Shadow asked.

"Haven't you told enough of it already? When is it my turn?"

"You'll get your turn, just be patient." Shadow assured him. He then turned his attention back to Junior "Now, where were we..."

"You were going to tell Daddy Sonic that I was in your tummy." Junior filled him in.

"Ah yes. I was heading back to the house to let Sonic know about the big news."

* * *

Shadow walked into the apartment and gently closed the door behind him. Sonic rushed into the living room "Hey Shadow, I was wondering where you had gotten off to." He greeted, kissing him on the cheek. He glanced down, noticing the absence of grocery bags "You didn't go shopping, did you?"

"Sorry... I forgot." Shadow apologised.

Sonic sighed "It's alright. I'll order us a pizza and go food shopping tomorrow."

Shadow glanced down at the picture and then glanced back up, watching as Sonic walked over to the kitchen and reached for the house phone. "Sonic, there's something I have to tell you."

"Okay, what is it?" He asked, pausing from picking up the phone.

"You may want to sit down." Shadow suggested, gesturing at the sofa. Sonic compiled.

"Oh no, what happened?" Sonic asked concernedly as he sat down on the sofa. Shadow walked over and stood in front of Sonic.

"Sonic, how badly do you want kids?" Shadow answered him with a question.

"More than anything... But that's not exactly possible for us, huh?"

"I beg to differ."

Sonic gave Shadow an odd look. Shadow glanced down at the picture and sighed "I don't really know how to explain this, so... Here, you should see it for yourself." He said, holding out the image to Sonic. The blue hedgehog took it and stared down at the picture.

"What is this?" He asked, looking up at Shadow with big, hopeful eyes. Shadow could tell he already knew the answer.

"It's a scan of an embryo is the early stages of pregnancy." He told him. "The scan is of me, Sonic. I'm pregnant." He confessed.

"...You're kidding, right? You're kidding." Sonic blurted out.

Shadow shook his head. "I wouldn't joke about that sort of thing."

Sonic glanced down at the scan, then at Shadow, then at the scan, then back at Shadow once again, as a smile appeared on his face and he began to grin from ear to ear. He practically leapt off the sofa in excitement. "Shadow, that's amazing!" He exclaimed, hugging him tightly, so much so that Shadow could barely breathe. He then quickly pulled out of the embrace and looked down at Shadow's stomach. "How did this happen? Because this isn't making any sense to me right now."

"Your guess is as good as mine." Shadow replied "Tails tells me it might have something to do with me being genetically modified or my alien DNA, or maybe something else entirely."

"All of those reasons sound a little far fetched, Shadow." Sonic commented. "It's sounds more like a half-arsed explanation that someone pulled out of their backside."

"Well, it's a bit difficult to make sense of a male getting pregnant. It's hard to tackle such an idea from a logical standpoint, so it doesn't really make sense even with some context."

"This is incredible." Sonic murmured. "Not too long ago I was telling you how much I wanted a kid, and now you're pregnant? It's like my wish has been granted!"

"So I'm guessing you want to keep it?" Shadow questioned, although the answer was obvious.

"Of course I do!"

"Although you have to keep in mind that, since I don't have a womb, the baby might not be able to develop, but Tails thinks that it's possible, but it's worth remembering... Just in case." Shadow told him, addressing the serious issue. He didn't want Sonic to get his hopes up.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." Sonic responded, nodding firmly.

He and Shadow embraced each other in a hug. "Just think, our own little son or daughter." Sonic muttered, touching Shadow's stomach as tears began to form in his eyes. "I have to tell everyone!" He exclaimed, pulling away from Shadow and rushing over to the front door.

"Sonic, wait-" Shadow began.

"Be back in a flash!" He cried out as he ran out of the apartment.

Shadow smiled to himself. He was glad Sonic was happy. But, if Sonic was happy, then... Why didn't Shadow feel happy too...?

* * *

 **The next day...**

"Pregnant?!" Rouge exclaimed. The entirety of the GUN agents gathered in the mess hall turned their heads to look in Shadow and Rouge's direction. "You're pregnant?!" She hissed, more hushed this time.

Shadow watched the other agents as they turned their attention back to their food. "I'm just as surprised as you are." Shadow responded.

"But that doesn't make any sense, how could you possibly be pregnant?"

"People sure are saying that a lot, it's almost as if the author has run out of varying dialogue and we're not even half-way through yet." He commented.

"I don't really know how it happened, it just did."

"But you're not keeping it, are you?" She asked.

"I am." He stated simply.

"You can't be serious about going though with this, do have any idea about how hard having a baby is?"

"Do you?" Shadow quipped.

Rouge frowned. "Haven't you even considered adopting a child instead?"

"Then the plot wouldn't nearly be as interesting or character driven. Plus, a lot of people wanted to see this, it was the only request we got, especially from a certain SOMEONE, not naming any names."

"Because Sonic wanted a child of his own, a baby that would belong to both me and him. I know an adopted child would be ours, but not... completely. Adoption would be a great thing, for us and the child we'd pick out, but it's not what Sonic would've wanted." Shadow explained.

"But aren't you worried?" Rouge questioned vaguely.

"About what?"

"If it really is yours and Sonic's child... Then what if your high immunity and immortality is a dominant gene? What if this child ends up inheriting both of those things? You'd be basically creating another you. Would you be able to live with yourself knowing that you brought a child into this world that would end up living through the same pain you're going through? And if it doesn't inherit those things, then that's another person that you care about that you're eventually going to lose."

"Whoa, could you be anymore out of character?" Shadow scoffed "Then again, I'm not one to talk, have you seen the first couple of chapters?"

"Don't talk about our baby like that." Shadow growled lowly.

"Don't pretend that you haven't thought about all of this already." Rouge retorted. "Do you even want to child?"

"Yes, I do." He replied firmly.

"You don't really strike me as the type of person who'd want to raise a kid." She commented, placing her hand on her hip.

"Look, Rouge, let me make something very clear to you. Sonic has wanted a child for some time now, and if this is my one chance to make him truly happy, then I'm going to take it, because it's unlikely that something like this will ever happen again."

"Shadow, we're not talking about how Sonic feels and what Sonic wants, we're talking about you and what you want. If you're only doing this for him, then you really need to start thinking this through and soon, because if you're having even a shadow of a doubt about this baby then you need to say something before it's too late."

"Would you please just stop? I have enough of this going on inside my head without you bringing it up." Shadow grumbled.

"So you admit that you have thought about it?" Rouge questioned.

"I-" He began, but was interrupted by an alert tone coming from his phone. He had never been so relieved to receive a text message. He picked his phone up off the table and examined the text. "It's Sonic, he's waiting for me at Tails' place." He announced. "I have to go." He said, rising from his seat and grabbing a piece of meat off his plate and stuffing it in his mouth. He had to eat something, not just for himself, but for the baby too, even if it wasn't sharing the food Shadow was consuming just yet.

Rouge grabbed Shadow's arm before he could leave. "I'm just looking out for you, Shadow. You know that, right?"

He nodded "I know."

"Just..." She trailed off, and released Shadow's arm "Just give it a little more thought, okay? If not for me, or even yourself... Then do it for Sonic. You have to stay honest with him."

Shadow walked backwards to the exit "I should know. I was the one that married him."

* * *

"So... You didn't want me?" Junior asked, his eyes welling up with sadness.

Shadow looked at him in alarm, not knowing what to say or do, he turned to Sonic for help.

"Of course he did, he just didn't realise it yet." Sonic told him, giving Junior a small hug.

"Oh, okay." Junior replied, bouncing back from being on the brink of tears.

"Well, that was easy." Sonic muttered quietly so that Junior didn't hear.

Shadow let out a sigh of relief and continued with the story. Crisis averted.

* * *

 **That same day...**

Shadow arrived at Tails' workshop, only to find Sonic standing outside and patiently waiting for him. "Hey Shadow." Sonic greeted, walking up to the black and red hedgehog and kissing him on the cheek. He then took Shadow by the hand and led him over to the workshop "Come on, Tails is waiting."

Shadow allowed himself to be dragged along by Sonic, whilst the blue hedgehog went on and on about their child. Shadow zoned out for most of it, but there was one thing that caught his attention. "What do you think the little guy or girl will be like?"

"He or she will probably be the most unoriginal and uncreative character to ever grace the Sonic fandom, which is saying something." Shadow responded.

"What do think we should call it? I was thinking Sonic Jr."

"You should probably wait until we know the gender before you start deciding on names." Shadow replied as he and Sonic entered Tails' workshop.

"Hey you two." Tails piped up. The two tailed fox got up from his chair and gave his older brother figure a brief hug. "I'm guessing you've come to a decision about the baby then." He said, patting Sonic on the back and pulling out of the embrace.

"We have." Sonic replied, taking hold of Shadow's forearm and pulling him closer.

"And judging by the smile on your face, Sonic, I'm guessing you're going to keep it?"

"We sure are!" Sonic exclaimed, grinning happily and jumping up and down in excitement, causing Shadow to sway despite being rooted to the spot.

"I'm glad to hear it." Tails said with a smile. He spun around on his chair and looked at his computer "I've been thinking about the development process of the baby, and I've come to a conclusion on what might happen."

"And what's that?" Sonic asked.

"I think that if Shadow was even able to conceive a child, then as the baby grows and develops, his body will adjust in order to suit the baby's needs. Tails explained.

"Wait, so you're saying my body might end up changing? In what way exactly?" Shadow spoke up.

"I think you're body will end up adapting to provide for the baby. For example, you might end up developing a temporary womb. But that's all just a theory of mine."

"Will it hurt?" Shadow asked, touching his stomach.

"Most likely." Tails replied honestly. "I'm no doctor, and I don't think even a real doctor could make sense of any of this, but I'll need you to come over on a regular basis so that I can check up on the baby and see how your body is adjusting."

"Alright, I can do that." Shadow agreed.

"And I'll come with you anytime I can." Sonic declared. The blue hedgehog then turned to look at Tails "How long do you think it'll take for Shadow to give birth?" He asked curiously.

Tails shrugged "It depends really. The baby could end up developing normally, or it could develop at a rate of which the Black Arms reproduced. There's no real way to tell at this stage, but for now I'm going to play it safe and say four to six months." He told him. "The author did consider following the pregnancy timeline of an actual hedgehog which is four to six weeks, but that isn't nearly enough time to focus on unnecessary drama."

"Will I need to take time off from GUN?" Shadow asked.

"In the late stages of pregnancy you will, but for now you're fine." Tails replied. "Is that all the questions you wanted to ask or is there more where that came from?" He questioned, glancing at the two.

"Yeah, what about-" Sonic was cut off when Shadow put his hand over his partner's mouth. He still insisted on talking, despite his words being muffled and hard to depict.

"That will be all." Shadow replied, glaring at Sonic as he removed his hand. Sonic remained silent. "Thank you for your time, Tails."

"Yeah, thanks." Sonic chipped in.

"No problem. I'd do anything for you guys." Tails responded.

Shadow pulled Sonic over to the door, just like how Sonic had pulled him into the workshop not long before. "Come by again in about a week or two, okay?" Tails called after them.

"Sure thing." Shadow acknowledged him. "See you later, Tails."

"See you soon."

Shadow closed the door behind him so that Tails didn't have to get up and shut it himself. "Why did you do that, Shadow?" Sonic asked grumpily.

"Grumpily? Seriously? Just because you add another word onto it doesn't mean it covers up the lack of variation. Readers, I implore you to go back and count how many times the author has used 'asked' and 'replied' and anything else that is such a common adjective. Because they certainty haven't." Shadow responded. "See, that's another one added to the counter."

"I had so many other questions I wanted to ask." Sonic mumbled.

"Save them for another day, Sonic." Shadow instructed. "We still have a long way to go."

* * *

 **Later that day... So night time, basically...**

"There certainly is a lot of scene jumping in this one." Shadow commented quietly.

The two lovers lay in bed, with Sonic resting his head on Shadow's stomach in order to be closer to his unborn child that wasn't even a fetus yet. At least, that's what I think. I did do some research into pregnancies before I did this, you know. I'm not making all this up.

Shadow had his head rested on the pillow and his arm wrapped around Sonic as he listened to the hum of traffic outside. The artificial light of the city shone through the gap in the curtains, causing streaks of bright orange to land on Shadow's face and illuminate the dark room ever so slightly. Shadow felt Sonic nuzzle up a little closer to him, which drew the black and red hedgehog's attention off the sound of the busy city night life and onto his partner, who he discovered to be awake and looking up at him with tired eyes.

"Can't sleep?" Sonic whispered.

Shadow simply shook his head in response.

"Me neither." Sonic replied, gently running his fingers along Shadow's stomach. "I could not want this baby to come any sooner."

"You have to be patient, Sonic." Shadow warned.

"I know, I know." Sonic mumbled drowsily. Shadow was sure that sleep would take him soon. But there was something on his mind that he knew he had to get off his chest sooner rather than later. He recalled what Rouge had said that day and the advice that she had given him. Perhaps now would be a good time to tell Sonic that he was having doubts about the baby.

Sonic had his eyes closed, but Shadow could tell that he wasn't asleep. He wouldn't nod off that quickly. He was most likely having a moment, thinking about his child. It was quite touching, it almost made Shadow not want to interrupt, but he had to speak up and take his chance. "Sonic, there's something I have to tell you..." Shadow told him in a hushed voice.

Sonic opened his eyes and rubbed his cheek along Shadow's stomach as he positioned his head to look at him. "What is it?" He asked.

"I-" Shadow began. He stared deep into Sonic's emerald green eyes, and saw how they were filled to the brim with happiness. Shadow recalled on how excited Sonic had been after he had heard the news, and how that excitement hadn't died down afterwards. Everything he had ever wanted had finally been given to him. And now Shadow could potentially take all that away. Would he really be the one to break Sonic's heart? The hedgehog that he loved so dearly and even asked him to marry him?

He couldn't bring himself to do it. Not now, and probably not ever.

So he did the worst thing he could ever possibly do in a marriage. He lied.

"I'm really excited about the baby too." He told him. "I just wanted you to know that, since I haven't really shown you how I feel. I know I can seem miserable all the time, but... I really want this baby, just as much as you do." Shadow expressed his feelings. His feelings that weren't even close to the truth.

"Shadow, you don't have to tell me that." Sonic replied. "I know you're excited, you wouldn't have agreed to have it if you weren't."

Shadow had to use every ounce of strength and willpower he had to not break down right then and there. "I'm glad you understand."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Sonic questioned.

Shadow and Sonic locked eye contact. This was the perfect opportunity for Shadow to tell him how he really felt. He just had to say it.

But he didn't.

"No, nothing. That's all I wanted to say."

"Well, it's good that we got that all cleared up." Sonic said. "Now, I think I'm going to get some shut eye, and hopefully dream about our little son or daughter." He declared. He leaned forwards and kissed Shadow on the cheek "Night, Shadow". He then went back to his earlier position and kissed his stomach. "Night, kiddo." He whispered softly.

Shadow blinked rapidly, fighting back tears. Or maybe it was just his eyes watering from lack of sleep. "Night... Sonic."

* * *

"Nothing really note worthy happens after that, except filler that nobody really wants to see, and even if they did the author is too lazy to write it." Shadow explained.

"Though we did go shopping for lots of baby stuff in between visiting Tails and having scans. But the best part was when we had a baby shower." Sonic told Junior.

"But what about Daddy Shadow? Did he ever tell you about how he felt?" Junior quizzed.

"Oh yeah, we still need to get to the obligatory drama that we've been building up to that always shows up in these chapters. The author loves doing that. They also love to make the readers feel something, whether it be sadness or happiness. It's either one extreme or the other, although it's normally the former rather than the latter." Shadow prattled on.

"Yeah, Shadow will get to that really soon. And then afterwards we can get to my favourite part of the story which is your due date."

"It would be best if Sonic tells that part of the story, since I don't really want to. It was a pretty traumatic experience that I don't want to talk or even think about." Shadow stated "Although one good thing did come out of it." He then added, a smile on his face.

"What was that?" Junior asked.

"You." Shadow replied, tapping the young hedgehog on the nose.

Junior blushed bashfully.

* * *

 **Five months into the pregnancy... So that it's accurate to everything addressed in this scene...**

"Things sure are developing nicely." Tails commented as he examined a new scan of the baby hedgehog.

Shadow was leant back against the workbench, as hoisting himself and his large baby bump onto the work table was just too much for him to handle. "That's good to hear." He replied, touching the bump.

"Looks my theory was right about you developing a temporary womb." Tails added to his earlier statement.

"You were right about it being painful as well." Shadow responded.

"Is it really that bad?" Tails questioned.

"Extremely." He replied simply with a grimace.

"I'd recommend that you take painkillers then."

"I've already cleaned out most of the painkillers from our medication cabinet." Shadow admitted.

"Well, pain is to be expected. It'll feel a lot worse when you have to give birth."

"Oh, don't worry, I am already _painfully_ aware of that."

Tails looked back at the scan "You know, I can tell you the gender of the baby if you want. This is normally a critical moment in any story, but that's definitely not the case in this one, seen as though the readers already know the gender, so it lessen's the impact of the reveal dramatically."

"Sure, I'd love to know." Shadow replied. "Wait, could you put it in an envelope? I want me and Sonic to find out the gender at the same time." He requested. "We could probably do that cake thing, but that would be rather pointless filler."

"Okay." Tails agreed. He disappeared into another room to write down the gender of the baby and slip it into an envelope. He returned not long after carrying a brown envelope and handed it to Shadow. "I hope you two are happy with the result."

Shadow took hold of the envelope, but Tails did not release his end. "Are you alright, Shadow?" He questioned concernedly.

"I'm fine." He replied "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem miserable every time you come here, that's all." Tails answered.

"I'm always miserable."

"Well, more miserable than usual."

"It's just the pain really." Shadow brushed off his question like it was nothing.

"Oh, okay." Tails replied, although he didn't completely believe or was satisfied with his excuse. He let go of the envelope and allowed Shadow to take it. "If you ever need anything, just let me know."

"I will." He lied, before taking his leave. He desperately wanted to talk to someone about his problems, but Tails wasn't the type of person he'd want to discuss them with. He was too close to Sonic, so if he even expressed a single doubt to him about the baby, he would inform Sonic about it. He was sure of it.

Shadow returned home to the apartment immediately. He didn't actually have anywhere else he could go or needed to be, as he had left GUN a few weeks earlier for maternity or paternity leave. Who knows which one since he was male and giving birth. Perhaps it was both.

As he entered the apartment, he realised that Sonic still wasn't home. He hadn't been there when he had left for Tails' place either. That's when Shadow noticed that a message had been left on the answering machine, judging by the fact that there was a blinking red light coming from the house phone, flashing at him.

He hit play.

"Hey Shadow! I'm just calling to say that I won't be able to make the scan." The message from Sonic informed him "I'm a little tied up with Eggman- WOAH!" The sound of Eggman yelling and gun fire could be heard in the background "-I hope I don't miss anything important. Anyway, I'll talk to you later, fill me in on how the baby's doing. Gotta go, bye!" The message ended.

Shadow sighed. He glanced down at the envelope and then touched his stomach. He walked over to the sofa and slumped down. He needed someone to talk to. Just someone, anyone. He pulled out his phone and decided to make a call.

"Shadow? What can I do for you?" Rouge answered.

"Rouge..." He sniffled sadly, fighting back tears

"Are you crying?!" She sounded generally shocked by this. He couldn't blame her.

"Maybe." He muttered. "Do you remember what you said when I first told you about the baby?"

"That insensitive stuff I said five months ago? Yeah. How many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry? I was just putting your best interests in mind."

"No, you were right. I don't want this baby, I never did." Shadow blubbered "Now I don't know what to do."

"Shadow, you're not thinking straight right now, it's the hormones talking." Rouge dismissed him.

"Rouge, I'm serious."

Rouge let out an audible sigh. "Look, Shadow, I'll tell you exactly what I told you that day. Tell Sonic. You have to stay honest with him."

"Wow, that was on point, it's almost as if the author forget and had to reread an earlier part of the chapter in order to get that right." Shadow commented.

"I don't know if I can." Shadow whimpered. "He'll hate me."

"He won't hate you. He'll understand. Just talk to him." Rouge instructed. "It'll be okay." She added, speaking soothingly.

The sound of the apartment door opening alerted Shadow to Sonic's presence. "He's back. I have to go." He declared.

"Tell him, Shadow."

Shadow let out a shaky sigh "I'll try." He said quietly, before ending the call and turning his phone off just as Sonic walked in.

"I'm home!" The blue hedgehog exclaimed as he entered the living room. "Man, that Eggman attack was rough, but don't worry, I handled it." He stated, despite that he had black scorch marks on him, probably from a robot blaster. "How did the scan go? Anything worth mentioning?" He asked.

"I um-" Shadow paused, wiping the tears from his eyes and sniffing back some snot. "I got the gender of the baby."

"Aw, you found out without me?" Sonic sulked.

"No, I have it in an envelope right here." He replied, showing him said envelope "And don't worry, I didn't peak."

"Hm... Do you think Sonic Jr. will be out of the question if it's a girl?" He wondered. "How about Sonia?". Sonic drew closer and examined Shadow's face "Have you been crying?" He asked concernedly.

"What? No." Shadow denied it.

"Yes you have, your cheeks are wet." Sonic pointed out. He rushed over to the sofa and sat down beside him. "What's the matter, Shadow?"

"Sonic, I-" he wasn't sure if he could say it, even now. No, he couldn't stay silent forever. He had to tell him. "There's something I should've told you a long time ago."

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

Shadow took hold of Sonic's hands and squeezed them gently. He looked Sonic in the eye, and opened his mouth, but the words got caught it his throat. And before he even realised it, tears were streaming down his cheeks. And when the tears started flowing, the words finally followed and rolled off his tongue. "I don't know if I want this baby."

"Wh-why not?" Sonic stuttered, a little stunned by this confession.

"Oh, there are so many reasons." Shadow admitted. "I don't know if I could live myself knowing that I'm going to bring a baby into this world that might end up being just like me. That they'll grow up and have to watch everyone they know and love die. And if it doesn't end up like me, then I'll have to live knowing that I'll eventually lose my son or daughter." He sobbed. "And worst of all, I don't think I'd be a good dad. They need a father that actually wants them and doesn't put his own feelings before him or her. But that's not me, I'm not the dad they deserve, and I never will be." He finished.

Sonic stared at Shadow silently, just taking it all in. And without saying a word, he lifted his hand and wiped away Shadow's tears. Sonic smiled warmly at him and then embraced him in a hug. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Sonic asked, running his fingers through Shadow's head quills in a soothing manner.

"Because you wanted a baby, I didn't want to ruin it for you just because I was having doubts." Shadow explained. "I just wanted to make you happy."

Sonic laughed. "Oh Shadow, I am happy. I was happy just being with you. I wouldn't want you to put yourself through all of this just for me, but I'm very grateful that you've been putting up with it for so long. But you don't have to feel like you need to do all of this just for me. I would've been as happy as I am now if it was still just me and you." He told him. "I'm glad you finally told me. And to be honest, I've been having doubts too." He admitted.

Shadow pulled out of the hug "Really?"

"Yeah, of course. I'm sure every parent does at some point. It's normal, and I don't blame you for having doubts. We all worry about how our child will turn out, but I know, whether it be like me or like you, that we'll raise it right, no matter what." Sonic stated. "And, well... I think you'd make a pretty great dad."

"You really think so?" Shadow questioned.

"I know so." Sonic responded. "And I think someone might agree." He added, placing his hand on Shadow's baby bump. "Kick twice for yes and once for no if you think Shadow will be a good dad."

The baby kicked twice.

"Looks like we're all in agreement." Sonic commented, giving Shadow a reassuring smile. And the look that he gave him helped to wash away and cleanse any doubt that Shadow had left remaining.

"Ah." Shadow grunted, feeling the baby kicking some more. "Someone really does agree." He commented.

"He or she is going to be a runner." Sonic declared.

"You'd be disappointed if it wasn't." Shadow quipped. He then held up the envelope "But we can guarantee one thing."

Sonic gasped "Can I open it?" He asked gleefully.

"Go right ahead." Shadow replied, handing the envelope to his partner.

The blue hedgehog opened it up without hesitation and pulled the piece of paper out, quickly glancing over what was written on it. "It's a boy!" He exclaimed, leaping off the sofa and throwing his hands up in the air in celebration. He then turned back to Shadow and kissed him, and then kissed the baby bump.

Shadow smiled at him. "Thank you, Sonic." He said gratefully.

"For what?" Sonic asked, pausing from his celebration.

"For understanding, and talking some sense into me." He replied. He took hold of Sonic's hand and dragged him back onto the sofa "And just for being you." He added, kissing him on the lips.

* * *

"And that is how Sonic and I solved the issue." Shadow stated. "Through the power of love." He exaggerated.

"Aw, that's sweet." Junior responded.

"Really? Normally kids your age would claim it's 'gross'. Oh wait, that's just a cliche."

"Now we can get onto my favourite part of the story." Sonic butted in.

"Yes, but we won't go into detail about the whole 'birth' thing, not because we don't want to, but because the author refuses to. Plus they've kind of given up at this point." Shadow explained. "Just between you and me, but I think it makes them uncomfortable. Not the birth process, but having to describe it. I think we all know who the real baby is here."

"Stop talking!" Sonic shouted, although the tone of his voice wasn't very loud "It's my turn now."

"So, Shadow was going into to labour, so I heroically scooped him up in my arms and rushed him to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, Eggman tried to stop me with an army of robots, but they were no match for me. I destroyed every robot that came my way, whilst still carrying Shadow in my arms, obviously. But then, just when I thought all of my foes were vanquished, Eggman's giant pet lizard, Eggzilla, showed up. But I knew exactly how to fight him. I put Shadow down and started fighting Eggzilla, giving him a left hook and right hook. But when I thought I had defeated him, he got back up, and ate me!"

Junior gasped. Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Shadow cried, more so for my loss than the whole 'giving birth' thing. Suddenly, just when all hope was lost, I punched a hole in Eggzilla's teeth and broke free. Shadow cried tears of joy as I defeated Eggzilla once and for all and sent Eggman packing. After shooing away my adoring fans and maybe giving a few autographs, and scooped Shadow up in my arms and rushed to the hospital just in time for him to give birth to you. And that is how I saved the world from, Eggman, his robot army and Eggzilla, and helped my loving husband give birth to our beautiful baby boy." Sonic finished.

"Wow!" Junior exclaimed in amazement, his eyes wide open after such a tale.

Shadow facepalmed. "That's not how it happened."

"That's because you were going through a painful experience, you don't remember it like I do." Sonic brushed his claim aside.

"Yeah, sure..." Shadow responded sarcastically.

"But what happened at the end after I was born?" Junior pipped up.

"The story hasn't ended, it's still carrying on, even now." Shadow told him, sounding rather philosophical.

Junior wasn't impressed nor understood by Shadow's answer. "Could you just tell me that part of the story, please?"

"Okay, fine." Shadow agreed.

* * *

Shadow lay in a hospital bed, with pools of sweat dripping down his face. "Man..." He groaned "That was painful. That thing we didn't go into detail about and you didn't read... Yeah, that was super painful. It's also pretty disturbing when you think about it since men aren't supposed to give birth. It would probably be ten times worse compared to a female going through with it."

He was still recovering from the long, almost endless amount of time he had spent in labour. He doubted that he'd ever feel a pain like what he had experienced like that again.

Sonic entered the room with a small bundle of cloth in his arms. The doctors had taken the baby away as soon as it was born, just to check up on it, since it was rather unusual for a male to give birth to a baby. And yes, I'm not going to stop addressing the fact that a man giving birth is odd. However, Tails had let the hospital know in advance that Shadow would be coming in and about the situation itself.

"Heyyyyyy Shadow." Sonic greeted soothingly. Because saying 'hey' is the only way Sonic greets him for some reason. "There's someone you ought to meet." He said, walking over to Shadow's beside and holding out the small bundle of cloth.

Wrapped snuggly in a blanket was a small, blue with red striped hedgehog. The baby opened it's eyes and stared up at Shadow, blinking a couple of times. Shadow sat up in bed, wincing in pain as he did so, and took the baby from Sonic, cuddling the small child. "Hey little one." He greeted, tapping his black, button-like nose. "I'm your dad." He told him softly. The baby hedgehog reached up and took hold of Shadow's finger with his tiny hands. Shadow smiled down at him, his eyes welling up with tears of pure joy.

"Meet Shadow Jr." Sonic announced.

...

What a twist!

* * *

"I liked that story." Shadow Jr stated, resting his head on Shadow and nuzzling up close to his father.

"Even though it didn't make much sense?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty great. Thanks for telling me in Daddy Shadow, and you too Daddy Sonic, you're part was funny."

Sonic grinned "I'm glad you liked it."

"Did it make you feel any better?" Shadow asked him.

"It made me feel a lot better, but... does all of this really mean I'm not a freak, even if I didn't have a mum?" Shadow Jr asked.

"Oh Junior..." Shadow murmured, gently stroking his head back quills "You're not a freak, you're special."

"You're our little miracle." Sonic added, speaking softly.

"And if anyone ever calls you awful things, or says things about you and where you came from, then you'll know that you understand so much more than them. And even if someone makes you upset again, makes you feel so low that you might not be able to overcome it, just know that we love you, and we always will." Shadow told him.

The two adult hedgehogs kissed him and the three embraced each other in one, big family hug. They'd always look out for and protect him, no matter where life would take him, no matter how old he got, they'd always be there for him. Their son.

Their baby boy.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, I had fun.**

 **Don't worry, the chapters won't be like this from now on. I just fancied doing something different and I thought this was the perfect idea to do it with since it's the only request I ever got. I looked up another mpreg Sonadow story that was pretty cool judging from the tiniest of sections that I read but for the life of me I cannot remember the name of.**

 **Chapters will be back to normal after this, but I hope you liked my parody of mpreg and me basically criticising myself through Sonic and Shadow. What can I say, I am my worst critic.**

 **Once again, this chapter really isn't meant to insult or offend anyone. I don't spend a week of my life writing a 10,000 word chapter just to be a dick. I'm not like that.**

 **So I'll see you all later. Let me know what you thought of... whatever this was in the reviews. Bye!**


	27. Update - New Story Coming Soon(ish)!

The title was supposed to say new sonadow story coming soon(ish) but that was too long. Oh well.

Hey readers.

I'm here with a special update!

So I haven't posted a chapter in about... 6 weeks? But that's because I've been working on something. If you like Sonadow... Which you probably do or you wouldn't be reading this, then you'll love this project. Basically, I'm writing an origin story of Sonic and Shadow's relationship! But with a twist. But I can't tell you what it is yet. The story is not really related to these shorts, and doesn't refefence them in any way. It's written in a first person past tense perspective, told from the POV of Sonic, Shadow and another chatacter I won't name just yet, to go with the 'twist'.

I previously said that I would put the Sonadow shorts on hiatus at chapter 35, but I've decided that I'm going to continue with the Sonadow shorts until I run out of ideas. The only difference is that there will be longer breaks between chapters. These shorts/drabbles are taking a back seat to other projects, and I'll be working on the shorts in between projects. So when can you expect the actual 27th short? Well, I... Uh... Don't actually know. It depends. I have started writing it though. Same goes for the Sonadow origins (that's not the title, it's just it's codename). I'm not going to put a date on it just yet. Once I've finished all the chapters I'll release them in a span of a few days. Not back to back as that is a bit overwhelming, perhaps two days in between. We'll have to see.

I may not be able to give you a release date but what I can do is give you a short preview from chapter 1. Give you a little taster of what's to come and if you're interested in seeing that story. Here you go:

 **Sonic's POV**

Shadow and I haven't always seen eye to eye.

We were rivals the day we met, and continued to be rivals for some time. That was the case, at least, until a few years back when we decided to settle our differences and ended our long-winded, and seemingly endless battle to come out on top of the other.

We became friends.

That's what we set out to become anyway. That's what we were to each other at first. But then something changed. I got to talk to Shadow on a regular basis, and I got to understand him better. He told me so many things about himself, and I saw a side of him that I had never even seen. He always seemed so calm and collected, strong and smart, when in reality, he was a tortured soul who had spent the majority of his life being controlled. He valued friendship more than anything, and would protect those that he cared about no matter what. I admired him for that. I admired him for everything he stood for.

I don't know when my feelings for him changed.

Maybe deep down they had been there all along and I had only noticed when I got to know the real him. It's hard to say.

I tried to ignore them at first. It was the simplest solution that I could come up with at the time. Sadly that didn't quite work out for me, as my feelings for Shadow never went away no matter how much I tried to bury them. Whenever I was around him I could feel my heart beating faster, almost as if it wanted to burst out of my chest. Even when I didn't see him, he was always on my mind. He was the only thing I thought about and every moment with him I would cherish.

But I was afraid. I had considered telling Shadow how I felt, but I doubted that he would want to take the relationship further. He saw us as friends, but I wanted so much more. I wasn't even sure what more I could possibly want from him. What else could I hope to gain from our relationship? Didn't I already have enough? Maybe it was just my desire to have my feelings returned by him. But that was never going to happen. So I didn't breathe a word about it. Which, for me, was one of the hardest things to do. And yet, I was worried that he would discover how I felt about him. That he would find out about my little secret and end up rejecting me.

Apart from Shadow himself, that fear of discovery and rejection was a lingering thought.

In an effort to forget about my feelings for him, I decided to stay away from him. We talked too often, and it wasn't doing me any good. We drifted apart for a short amount of time. A few months, I think. Did it help me overcome my feelings?

No.

In absence, love only grows stronger. At least, that's what I've heard. It was true in my case.

After ceasing all contact with Shadow, I managed to have some time alone to collect my thoughts and understand my feelings better. I realised that I had to stop letting my emotions get the better of me. Shadow and I were pretty close at that point, he would understand, and with a bit of luck, he would feel the same way. With a bit more time to myself, I plucked up enough courage to tell him how I really felt.

Unfortunately, he had something important to tell me as well...

And that's all I really have to say. Hope you like the preview and want to see more. Let me know what you think of the project. I'll delete this update whenvever I post the real chapter 27. But for now, I'm going back to work on Sonadow origins. I'm really looking forward to showing you the final version. See you soon!


	28. Update - New Story has been posted

Hi everyone. No new Sonadow short yet but I have something you may like.

In the last update I told you about the 'Sonadow Origins Project'. I'm happy to tell you that chapter one has been posted today! :D

The story is called 'Love, Secrets and Lies' so if you want to go check it out then fell free. It has Sonadow AND Sonamy. I hope you like it.

And don't worry, the Sonadow shorts will return. Thanks for your patience.

~ TWDGamerKenny'sBro


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